I’ll help Boyata get over his injury nightmare as I’ve been there too
WELL versed in the deflating disappointment of ill-timed injuries, Jozo Simunovic can empathise with how Dedryck Boyata is currently feeling.
Knee-ligament damage has left Boyata facing three months of rehabilitation, meaning he will play no part in Celtic’s Champions League qualifying process. The fact the Belgian didn’t feature at all in Europe last season will only further compound his frustration.
Simunovic is determined, however, to ensure his central defensive colleague can be involved in the elite group stage when he returns to fitness.
Brendan Rodgers’ side begin their bid to claim that £30million prize against Linfield in Belfast on Friday evening.
And Simunovic would take obvious pleasure in ultimately renewing his partnership with Boyata on one of the game’s greatest stages.
‘Dedryck and I have done well together and we were preparing for the Champions League qualifiers,’ said the Croatian defender.
‘But we have a lot of quality players who can come and step in. Injuries are part of football and it’s important that we have guys who can do that.
‘Dedryck didn’t play in the Champions League last year and we will do everything to make sure that he can do that this season. We want to reach the Champions League and we feel ready to do that.
‘I feel sad for Dedryck and every player who suffers a serious injury. I am really sorry for what happened to him.
‘I will help Dedryck through this injury because I have been there and experienced it myself. But we will all help him as a squad.
‘Mental strength is the most important thing in terms of how you prepare yourself. Also, hard and smart work is important so that you can recover as quickly as possible.’
Like Boyata, Simunovic played no part in last season’s successful qualification mission. He was then in the final stages of a gruelling eight-month recovery following knee surgery.
Unable to exert any influence on the outcome, the Croat was an anxious television spectator as Rodgers’ men edged past Hapoel Be’er Sheva despite a 2-0 secondleg defeat.
‘It was really hard watching the team trying to qualify last season when I was injured,’ admitted Simunovic. ‘I was sad. I couldn’t play and help my team.
‘I watched the final play-off game on TV and it was very hard. I didn’t travel with the team because I was in the process of my recovery and I had sessions with the conditioning coach. I didn’t have my hands over my face. I wasn’t scared but I was nervous.
‘We had done a good job in the first game (against Be’er Sheva), scoring five goals, and it was a fantastic moment to go through.
‘It was hard to watch but, in the end, everything turned out the way we wanted.
‘That was one of the best moments of my career — even though I wasn’t playing. But this year, I feel completely different — for me and the team.
‘All I can think about right now is hearing the sound of the Champions League music at Celtic Park.
‘I managed to experience that last season and it was an amazing feeling. As a player, I don’t think it gets any better than that.’ Simunovic appeared against Barcelona and Manchester City last season, establishing himself as an important player for Rodgers following the collapse of a proposed move to Torino.
Another summer has brought fresh speculation about his future. West Bromwich Albion, Crystal Palace and Newcastle United have been linked as English suitors, while Torino are again thought to be looking towards the 22-year-old.
Rodgers has ruled out any sales prior to the end of the Champions League qualifiers. Under contract until 2020, Simunovic has also made it clear he is in no rush to find an exit.
‘I am just focused on Celtic,’ he said. ‘I am happy here. I am playing and that is the most important thing. I don’t care about other clubs. At the moment, I go day by day. We will see but I am happy here.
‘I have always believed I have the ability to be the main defender for Celtic. From the first day I arrived at this club, that has been my aim.
‘The first season was a little bit unlucky for me but I never stopped believing that I can be the main guy for Celtic.
‘I like the responsibility. When you play in my position, that’s what you need to accept. It’s full of it. It’s my part in the team.’
Indeed, Simunovic believes international recognition could now follow if he replicates the form produced in Celtic’s campaign as
2 Simunovic played in just two of Celtic’s 12 Champions League games last season. It was two more than Boyata though, who missed all six qualifiers and six group stage clashes
Treble-winning Invincibles. Capped at Under-21 level by his country, he has yet to break into the senior set-up under coach Ante Cacic.
‘I hope that playing well with Celtic can help me get into the Croatia squad,’ he said. ‘Why not?
‘Last year was good for me and I believed last season that it could come. It didn’t and for now, I am only focused on Celtic.
‘We have a big two months coming up and the aim is to get to the group stage of the Champions League.
‘I only played two games in the Champions League last season but it meant so much to me. For the guys who played in six games, it must have been unbelievable. We have to use that experience from last season to get better. But the first aim is to get to the group stage.’