- How did it feel to be back in goal in a match again after 232 days, and you also wore the captain's armband in the friendly match against SV Lafnitz?

I didn't really count exactly how many days I had to miss, but the last 8 months seemed like an eternity. I'm extremely happy to be back in action, I've missed this feeling so much. I think the first 45 minutes I spent on the pitch were okay, but of course it will get much better. There are situations that only come back in matches. The most important thing for me now is to be able to train at full intensity, and fortunately my knee is not swollen or inflamed, so nothing is holding me back. If they had told me a few months ago that I would be here in mid-June, I would have signed up without a second thought.

- After a serious injury like this, do you have fears that might make you not go into riskier situations in the same way as you did before your injury?

I have no fear, neither in training and now in the match, I didn't think about whether I would dare to throw myself towards the ball that were near the strikers. Luckily I managed to stay strong in my head, I couldn't play football if I was afraid of the risk of injury in every situation. I've worked very hard over the last few months to get back on the pitch in 100% condition. I feel that I am very close to that now, you could say that I am now in the home stretch. Being able to play again has helped me mentally a lot.

- We're preparing without our core players from the national team for the time being, so there was a different defence in front of you in Thursday's training match. How much did that affect your work in goal?

For each match we will go to the pitch with the current 11 players representing Vidi. The youngsters are also getting into the rhythm, and everyone is trying to give 100% in training and in matches. My job in training and in matches is not affected by the defence in front of me. After all this time off, I need to experience as many match situations as possible on the pitch, because it's very difficult to practice them in training.

- Over the past 8 months you have spent a lot of time at home with your family, but now you are away from them again. How does it feel to be back in the training camp with the team?

It's true, I haven't been away from my family much in the last year, except when I was in hospital. Since my son is over 3 years old now, he has been asking a lot lately where his dad is and why he is not home, but luckily I can talk to him and my wife every day. For me, I've really missed the training camp with the team, I've missed the atmosphere, I've missed the smell of the changing rooms and the well-deserved tiredness that comes after a tough training session or match.