Celtic right-back Mikael Lustig desperate for injury-free run
Wednesday 3 June 2015 22:58, UK
Celtic right-back Mikael Lustig is desperate to hit the ground running this pre-season after a nightmare two years of injury hell.
Lustig, 28, was forced to miss three months of the 2014/15 campaign after he injured his ankle against Dundee in a Scottish Cup tie at Celtic Park in February.
It was a similar tale for the Sweden full-back last year after he underwent an operation at the end of 2013 to fix a recurring hip problem that saw him miss the first four months of the new year and the run-in for a third straight Scottish league title.
The defender enjoyed a rare injury-free start to the last campaign but his bad luck started when he suffered a hamstring injury while on international duty in November that kept him out until January.
The Swede struck twice as a second-half substitute against Motherwell at Celtic Park on January 21, but he managed only two more games after that before he succumbed to an ankle knock against the Dark Blues.
Every time I get injured I always promise myself to not do it again but this could happen to anyone.
He told the Celtic View: “I twisted my ankle on the inside in February against Dundee in the cup and the first feeling I had straight after the game was that it would be two or three weeks maximum but it was more complicated than that.
“My ligament was stretched out and I had a bone bruise on the outside so it has been a really hard time. It feels like I’m standing in the same position all the time so that’s been tough.
“I was out for a while before that so the whole season has been quite bad for me. Every time I get injured I always promise myself to not do it again but this could happen to anyone.
“Now the last couple of weeks I feel like I’m finally progressing. I’ve been outside running and been involved in some passing exercises so hopefully I can be ready for the pre-season.
“It’s really refreshing to get back outside and train. It’s really hard to just be in the gym just doing the bike for three months - that’s not much fun and it takes a certain mental strength.”
