Roland Sallai: I will always be grateful to the doctors who did my operation

– How are you?
– Thank you, I'm getting better, I've already started individual training with the ball, and hopefully I can join the team as soon as possible – said Roland Sallai, who suffered a facial fracture in early September in the 3-2 win at Leverkusen's home after Jonathan Tah kicked him under his left eye. – My eyes are being tested day by day to see they react. The main problem is that my vision is not perfect when I look down, but I feel a steady improvement, so I'm optimistic. I hope to return as soon as possible, but I would rather not give an exact date. – How are you?
– Thank you, I'm getting better, I've already started individual training with the ball, and hopefully I can join the team as soon as possible – said Roland Sallai, who suffered a facial fracture in early September in the 3-2 win at Leverkusen's home after Jonathan Tah kicked him under his left eye. – My eyes are being tested day by day to see they react. The main problem is that my vision is not perfect when I look down, but I feel a steady improvement, so I'm optimistic. I hope to return as soon as possible, but I would rather not give an exact date.

– How much do you remember of the situation right before the injury?
– I would rather not talk about that. Let's just say that I was in very good hands here in Freiburg, and I will always be grateful to the doctors who did my operation. They also told me that I was very lucky because I was close to losing my sight.

– Are you angry at Jonathan Tah?
– Anyone who plays football knows that any injury is part of the game. I'm sure there was no deliberateness on his part. At times like this, a player has to concentrate on recovering as quickly as possible and getting back in the best possible shape.

– Is your special protective mask ready now?
– Yes, I'll have to wear it for three to five months, but who knows, if it works, I might not take it off after that.

– What did you think of the draw for the European Championship qualifiers? Many believe that qualification from this group is practically a must.
– I was happy because we avoided the big names, but it's a deceptive group. We'll be playing against good teams, so we need to go out to the pitch with the same drive and determination as if we were playing with Germany, England, or Italy. We all have the same goal: we want to be at the European Championship. But we are also aware that we have tough matches ahead of us, especially the two against Serbia. Those who only watch the national team's results from the outside might think that qualification will be easy, but there really are no easy games at this level. I say, no matter how, but let's just make it to the next European Championship as well.

– I guess it wasn't fun for you watching the fall Nations League matches from the outside.
– It wasn't, indeed, which is why I'd like to be back with the rest of the team for the national team matches in November. But to do that, I also need to play regularly for my club team and perform well.

– It was a matter of a hair's breadth that the team didn't make it to the final four. What do you think was missing to do so?
– It's a funny question because after the draw everyone was asking what we needed to survive the group and stay in League A. In comparison, the question now is what was missing to finish first, not second. I say let's appreciate what we have achieved, we can be satisfied with the result, and we must continue on this path. We have achieved great results, but we must also see realistically that the national team has gone above and beyond, and it has overturned all the paper forms. And also, that's all in the past now, and we have to concentrate on the next task, the qualifiers for the European Championship next March.

– It is undeniable that the national team has made progress in recent times.
– The professional staff has done a lot of work for it, and also the players accepted and understood what needed to be done to achieve our goals.

– How did Ádám Szalai's retirement affect you?
– I can't deny that it was a bit of a surprise, but everyone has to accept that it was a decision taken after careful consideration. I can only repeat what many people have said about him: he was a leader on and off the pitch and it will be very difficult to replace him.

– Not only is the national team doing well, but also Freiburg, that is second in the Bundesliga and will surely qualify from their group in the Europa League. At club level, what would you be satisfied with at the end of the season?
– In the league, it would be good to finish in one of the top five or six places, and we'll see about the rest. We've started the season well, I hope we can keep up this form and then we could be in for a big surprise. Last season we played in the German Cup final, it was a fantastic feeling to battle for the gold medal, and it would be nice to have that experience again. With the difference, of course, that we'd win the cup this time. But let's not get ahead of ourselves. We have a strong squad, we have every reason to be optimistic, and I hope to be back to help the team as soon as possible.

Translated by Vanda Orosz.