Bartels and his road back to fitness

Most Green-Whites watching the TV coverage of the Dortmund game probably had goosebumps for the opposite reasons as they saw the pained expression on the striker’s face after being substituted. “In the moment, because it all happened so quickly, the pain wasn’t actually that bad. The shock and sadness about the doctors’ diagnosis was more painful, as they told me that the tendon was probably torn,” Bartels recalls. The torn tendon was the Achilles tendon and the probably became a frustrating certainty. After a successful operation, Bartels is on his way back following the injury he picked up against Dortmund. The attacker has been working towards his comeback every day in 2018. "I'm receiving a lot of treatment and am fighting hard to regain fitness. You have to balance strengthening the muscle and letting it recuperate," said Bartels. However, talk of a specific return date is too soon. "It's a matter of small steps. Most of all, I have to be patient and not put myself under too much pressure even though I obviously want to be back out there playing as soon as possible."