Roma defender Leandro Castan has singled out director of football Walter Sabatini in helping him come back from brain surgery.
The 28-year-old had surgery in December to remove a cavernoma, or cluster of abnormal blood cells, in his brain that had been causing dizziness and now the centre-back hopes to be fit for the start of the 2015/16 season.
Castan told reporters: “I was hurt when the doctor told me I could not play so [Sabatini] called me and told me I had to stay; I thank him for not letting me go and making me feel like a footballer, giving me strength not to give up and I will not forget this.”
It was not the only support the Brazilian received on his comeback from the surgery, Alessandro Del Piero also sent a positive message via Twitter: “I read [it] and I am very happy for the words of a champion like himself, it gives me more strength to come back as quickly as possible.
“I thought I would recover much faster but I’m working to be ready for the first game of the season and now I feel very good; it was important to leave my vacation early and begin my return,” Castan continued.
“I’m working as quickly as possible, then the coach will decide [when to start playing] but my case is different to normal recovery times.”
Centre-back Castan had an excellent 2013/14 season alongside Mehdi Benatia, making 36 appearances for the Lupi, and is currently realistic about hitting those heights again.
“I am confident about hitting my past level and I’ve never been afraid of making mistakes but I have not played for a year and am lacking agility.
“As a team we will be together until the end and must not give up, I do not consider our last season to be a failure because we qualified for the Champions League and this year the club is trying to make a better team and we need to win together as a group of 20-25 players.”
