Sports director Schöttel

Alaba comeback? “Won’t know more before May”

David Alaba's participation in the European Championship will be a difficult race against time.

(Bild: GEPA pictures)

Austria's soccer team boss Ralf Rangnick is pulling out all the stops to have his key players fit for the European Championship in Germany this summer. The team boss was recently in Milan to visit Marko Arnautovic. Afterwards, the coach was optimistic. The signs are different for David Alaba, as ÖFB sports director Peter Schöttel explains.

While it will be a difficult race against time for David Alaba, the chances of Marko Arnautovic taking part in the tournament are good despite his recent muscle injury in his thigh. To keep things that way, Rangnick paid a visit to his club Inter Milan before the current international break.

ÖFB sports director Peter Schöttel

(Bild: Mario Urbantschitsch)

Rangnick was in Milan on Saturday with rehab coach Martin Hämmerle and ÖFB nutrition expert Martin Rinderer. "Simply to try as best we can with everyone involved to ensure that he doesn't miss out for either Inter or us due to muscular problems," explained sporting director Peter Schöttel at the ÖFB team camp in Marbella.

Inter interested in an exchange
Arnautovic turns 35 in April, reminded Schöttel. "It's important that you do the right things, eat the right things, train the right things. But everyone is behind that anyway," said the sporting director. Inter are also interested in an exchange with the ÖFB due to his injury history.

Austria's record international has already been out for six weeks this season due to a hamstring injury. He suffered another such injury a week ago and will therefore miss the first two international matches of the year on Saturday in Bratislava against Slovakia and the following Tuesday in Vienna against Turkey. Arnautovic was also repeatedly plagued by muscle injuries in his first season in Bologna (2021/22).

Arnautovic turns 35 in April

(Bild: APA/AFP/GABRIEL BOUYS)

For Alaba, the first two European Championship tests following the cruciate ligament rupture he suffered in December were not an issue. The ÖFB captain is currently completing his rehab in Madrid. "What I'm hearing is that everything is going well," said Schöttel. "But we won't know any more before May, I assume." The ÖFB team will start its immediate European Championship preparations on May 29 in Windischgarsten. Rangnick will have to name his final tournament squad on June 7, with the first European Championship match following on June 17 against France.

Schöttel disrupts Rapid chants
It remains to be seen how many Rapid players will appear in the European Championship squad. Rangnick decided not to include Marco Grüll and Guido Burgstaller as well as goalkeeper Niklas Hedl in the first training session of the year, not least because of their abusive chants after the Vienna derby at the end of February. With Leopold Querfeld, Matthias Seidl and debutant Christoph Lang, however, the team boss still invited three Rapid players to Spain. Only RB Leipzig currently has so many national team players.

Schöttel was all the more disturbed by the abusive chants of some Rapid fans against Rangnick on Friday at the Green-Whites' league home game against LASK (0:0). "That's not nice, you shouldn't do that," said the Viennese, who once played 527 competitive matches for Rapid as a defender. His 436 league appearances are still a club record.

"Within Austria, Rapid has the most call-ups," emphasized Schöttel. Together with Red Bull Salzburg, Hütteldorf also has the most players in the national youth teams. The reason? Rapid pursued a concept under academy manager Willi Schuldes that was "a bit different", said Schöttel. "Many clubs have copied Salzburg, including in the youth academy." Rapid, on the other hand, always focused on the playful line - even in the youth teams.