García took a big step in his comeback when he first returned to team training two weeks ago, a day after the bitter 2-1 loss to Mainz 05. More recently, he has been included the matchday squads against VfL Wolfsburg and Darmstadt - these inclusions were his first ones in a long time. “It was a decision taken together by the coach, the physiotherapists and myself to again be selected,” noted García. “They just wanted me to work more often with the ball and find myself in the team again after such a long time away.”

After the 28 year old had to settle for a place in the stands in the last two games, it’s understandable that his personal goal is to feature in Werder’s first Bundesliga game after the international break: “Not only the Pauli game is important for me, I’d definitely like to return to the pitch against Leverkusen.” However, after the signing of Robert Bauer, there’s more competition for the left-back spot but the experienced defender understands this: “It’s normal that you have to fight for your spot. In every Bundesliga team there are players that fight for their position, I can say that I really am prepared for this. If the coach says I’m playing then I’ll be ready and be raring to go!”