“One of my discs popped” – West Ham player on MRI showing extent of injury

West Ham United goalkeeper Łukasz Fabiański says he’s making progress on his road to recovery.

WP SportoweFakty spoke to the 40-year-old on a few topics and the start the interview with his injury situation.

Fabiański spent seven years at West Ham and left them as a free agent at the end of last season.

He had an offer from Everton and an opportunity to return to Legia Warszaw for free last summer but didn’t consider either of them as he wanted to stay in London.

West Ham signed Mads Hermansen from Leicester City, but his performances at the start of the season weren’t convincing. This saw the Hammers sign Fabiański on a free transfer in September.

‘Delayed return’ from injury

The Pole was on the bench in the London club’s 3-0 Premier League defeat to Tottenham Hotspur in September. He hasn’t made it to Nuno Espírito Santo’s squad since then and has been away from the pitch due to an injury.

WP SportoweFakty stated the stopper’s return from an injury has been ‘delayed’. When responding to that, Fabiański explained how he picked up an injury.

“It was difficult to predict exactly how long the recovery would take,” he said.

“This was the first time I’d had an injury like this. It happened in training. Not even after a intervention, a jump, a fall, or a run. I made a turn, a dynamic change of direction, and one of my discs popped, which started pressing on a nerve in my leg, quite severely. I had to wait for my quadriceps to respond appropriately.

“After undergoing a series of tests, including an MRI, I saw that my spine was indeed showing the wear and tear of all those seasons. But I don’t regret it.”

West Ham player on recovery process

The outlet points out he recently returned to training and asks whether he missed it.

“For now, I’m training at 80-90%. I still need to strengthen my quadriceps on my right leg. I’ve returned to training with the other goalkeepers, almost at full strength, and I’m slowly rejoining the whole team. There are still areas where I feel like I’m lagging behind, especially in the weight room,” Fabiański explained.

The former Arsenal and Swansea City man isn’t giving up hope of featuring for West Ham this season.

“I want to be in the best possible condition, and who knows what will happen. I hope my health will allow me to return to the level I want. Of course, my role has changed in recent years,” he added.

“Nothing lasts forever, but I maintain the same approach to my profession. I want to maintain a high standard and set an example for others. I don’t approach training and daily life with the mindset that just because they’re younger and a different goalkeeper is in charge, I’ll somehow relax or take things easier.”