Ajax“>Sean Klaiber will soon return to full training at Ajax. That’s what the right back tells the General Newspaper. Klaiber suffered a serious knee injury at the end of July and had to undergo a rehabilitation process since then. In his own words, he is fully on schedule and the defender will soon rejoin the player group.
‘Twirl, run, shoot, long balls. Basically everything is, but not at full power’, says Klaiber when asked what he can do again. “We are five months later and I am on schedule. The physios say it looks good. Tests also show that. I will train completely at Ajax again. I also want to be with the group again. The most important stage of the season is approaching. I don’t just want to experience that, I also want to contribute to that during training. If everything goes according to plan, I will make my comeback this season. I just cannot and will not force that.’
Klaiber also thought it was important that he was mentally strong during his injury: ‘I was not raised that way. Never give up, stay positive and keep goingI always heard. I also thought about my father. He was a tough man, who said it like it was. He got up at four o’clock every day. He didn’t come home until five o’clock in the afternoon. Do I have to beep as an Ajax player? Such life lessons have helped me. My wife, mother and best friend also point this out to me. I don’t let myself be known. This injury won’t get to me.’
The right back of Ajax recovered in the medical center of the KNVB and not at Ajax. Klaiber had reasons for this: ‘I know the physio and you can talk to guys who are in the same boat. That helps, because they are already further along and they know what to expect. At the club you always see teammates who can do everything on the field. That can gnaw mentally. I wanted to avoid that.’
Klaiber has ‘little’ contact with Ten Hag and Overmars
Klaiber was unable to attend Ajax’s Champions League matches due to his injury and he regrets that: ‘You want to be at such great matches. You want to be able to celebrate that with the group. I found that very difficult.’ The defender still has a lot of contact with the group, but with Erik ten Hag and Marc Overmars? “Few,” says Klaiber. “The coach has a lot on his plate and is busy with the team. I don’t need to hear much from them either. I am an independent boy. I follow my own path, whether they text me or call me or not.’
Ajax took Klaiber in the summer of 2020 and the right back is still fixed until the summer of 2023. Klaiber has not yet discussed what will happen after his injury and whether Ajax is counting on him: ‘No, we have not discussed that yet. I assume so. Last summer, clubs were interested. Before they became concrete, I was not allowed to leave Ajax. Then came that injury. I don’t think about the long term. First I want to make sure that I come back fitter and more explosive. Then we’ll see.’
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