Condemned to watch

Handl: “An operation would be extremely bitter”

Austrias Johannes Handl (left) is currently injured.(Bild: GEPA)

Austrias Johannes Handl was surprised by the diagnosis following his knee injury.An MRI examination awaits him on Saturday.

He clipped the ball with the outside of his foot during a simple movement in training - suddenly he felt a stitch and no longer had any grip. "I knew straight away that something was wrong. But I was still quite surprised by the diagnosis," says Austrias Johannes Handl.

The 26-year-old suffered a torn collateral ligament in his right knee in mid-July through no fault of his own and has been condemned to watch the Violets play ever since. "It's really bad for me, I'm much more nervous and tense in the stands. I can already tell when I'm driving to the game."

However, Handl, who wears a splint and is currently sweating it out in the weight room with upper body exercises, rowing and cardio units, is still out of the question when it comes to team training. "The weight room is not my favorite place, I want to be back for the derby at the end of September."

On Saturday, however, the defender will have a serious MRI examination. "If the collateral ligament hasn't grown together, I'll have to have an operation. That would be extremely bitter!"

Looking forward to Dragovic
It would also be extremely bitter for Austria, who only conceded two defeats at home last season with Handl, who increasingly established himself as the boss of the defense. Sporting director Jürgen Werner is also pained by his loss. "He has developed really well, with a fit Dragovic, Handl and Galvao we are very well positioned in the back three!"

Handl will be back in the stands to support his team against WAC on Sunday. How excited are you to be able to defend alongside Aleks Dragovic in the future? "Simply tremendous! He's a respected figure who I also look up to a lot!"

Aleksandar Dragovic (left) and Jürgen Werner(Bild: GEPA)

Speaking of Dragovic: How long will his strength last against the "Wolves"? "One half is definitely possible. If he's on the pitch for longer, I wouldn't mind," laughs Werner.