Janko through injury hell and relishing return to Paradise
SAIDY JANKO has spoken for the first time of the devastation he felt when his first season as a Celtic player was ruined by the only serious injury he has suffered in his career.
The defender was thought a year ago to be an ideal signing for the club. The Swiss was a former captain of Manchester United’s reserves so arrived in Glasgow with a good grounding in the game, he was 19, fast and desperate for first-team football. So far, so good.
But when the season began, his form was not great and then a series of setbacks reduced his campaign to just 10 games for Celtic, and many of them came as a substitute. If it had not been for bad luck, Janko would have had no luck whatsoever.
He has returned to this pre-season fit and raring to go. It is fair to say the right-back has a lot of catching up to do. The Celtic supporters have not really seen enough of him to make up their mind about his merits as a footballer.
All Janko himself is looking for is the chance to show he should not be put in the same category as the far too many who have come and gone at Celtic Park in recent years without making even the slightest mark.
“For me personally, last season was very hard,” he admitted. “Football is everything and it was my first serious injury but my family, friends and the club helped me get through it. I am just looking forward to the new season.”
“In training I got kicked and some of the ligaments went in my ankle. I was out for five months but they said it would heal naturally in eight to 12 weeks. It did not, I had to have the operation and I was out again for eight to 12 weeks. That was the problem. I was devastated. I was doing well. I got a few starts and I was also doing well with the national team. It was frustrating but it is good to be back.”
Janko has looked rusty in the games so far but will need to get himself ready because, as it stands, Mikael Lustig will start in central defence against Lincoln Red Imps so the Swiss under-21 international will be required at right-back.
“I am fully fit,” he stressed. “Obviously, everybody needs to get their match fitness and that is why we have had so many friendlies because these qualifiers are so important. The main thing is to get the fitness back now.”
It is a lonely business being an injured footballer, especially if you are living abroad. Janko is still young and to be faced with hours of rehab in a strange place would not have been much fun. Thankfully for him, support was at hand.
“Everybody helped,” he said. “Celtic is a big family and everyone is supportive, especially the foreign players like Dedryck Boyata, Nadir Ciftci and whoever else helped me through it. My family were the main people who helped me through it. They are still in Zurich but my girlfriend came over after it happened and then my mum and dad, along with my brother.”
Brendan Rodgers has namedropped Janko a few times over the summer. In many ways, he is the manager’s type of defender in that he has pace and stamina and likes to get forward. Janko’s Celtic career is starting all over again under the new manager, who has likened him to a train, and you sense he is determined to show the club were not wrong to offer him a four-year deal last summer.
“This is a fresh start for me at Celtic,” he said. “That is the case for everyone, to be honest. The manager wants to take us to the Champions League and everyone is giving their all. So far, things are looking good. It motivates me personally and I know that is the case for a few of the other guys as well. I do not know about me being a train but the manager has been very positive with me, and the rest of the squad. He gives me a lot of advice and he is encouraging me too. I am motivated to do well for Celtic and the manager.
“The way he wants us to play does suit me. He wants us to press high and early. He wants us to play good football and attack teams. That is what I like to do.”
Everything now is geared towards the Champions League. Celtic will get through tomorrow night, although Lincoln Red Imps will back themselves to cause a few awkward moments, and then it is on to Astana, the champions of Kazakhstan if, as is expected, they beat Lithuania’s Zalgiris at home on Wednesday.
“We should do well,” said Janko. “I hope we qualify. We have got a few games in and we have got where we want to be. We will see how it goes but I am confident.”