The Green-Whites were not able to celebrate a victory at the start of 2017 but they can still be happy about two players making their long-awaited debuts. New signing Thomas Delaney and the long-time injured Justin Eilers played in the Werder shirt for the first time on Monday and both left the field with big smiles. “It was pretty tiring but I’m very happy,” said a delighted Eilers, who played for 45 minutes in the 1-1 draw with FC Brugge.
“I could definitely feel that I’m still not quite 100% but that is normal after being out for such a long time,” said the 28-year-old, who was out for the first half of the Bundesliga season after arriving at SVW in the summer with a complicated hip injury. Eilers also missed the three training camps in the summer due to his injury. However the forward was back training with the rest of the team in Alhaurin el Grande for the first time in a while. “I’m really pleased to have finally got to know the boys properly and to be a part of the team.”
The Werder fans have also had to wait a similarly long time to see Thomas Delaney make his first appearance for the club since the Dane joined Werder in August. He made a strong debut in defensive midfield against Karlsruher SC. “It was good to be playing but the result could have been better,” Delaney told WERDER.TV after the final whistle.
There was plenty of praise after his debut from his teammates. “He did well. He is a player who always offers an option, demands the ball, is good going forward and releases the ball quickly. He was very committed and took responsibility,” said captain Clemens Fritz. Head coach Alexander Nouri also spoke highly of the 25-year-old. “We’ve seen his class in training and he demonstrated that in the match today. He worked hard all over the pitch and made a lot of interceptions. In addition he has a true winning mentality. These attributes are really good for us.”
