Chapter 807: Higo Back in Training Again!

Just like before, Higo was not familiar with that name. However, when he glanced around, the boy could see some guys like Jonas Hofmann and Fabian Reese, the local, recognize that name.

Besides surprise, they clearly showed excitement as if the name was enough to make the team get better twice as much as the last season. Of course, their reaction alone only made the boy more curious.

’Klaas-Jan Hunteelaar, huh? Based on his name, he should be Dutch, and he has been with the team before, so this will be his second time arriving at the team. Hmm... I wonder what kind of a man he would be?’ He muttered inwardly.

"Anyway, you can get excited later when he arrives, but for now, let’s go back to our topic first." Frohling stepped in. "This will not be our final squad, because more people will have to leave sooner or later, either due to contract matters or because they want to pursue something higher for their career. However, I promise that I will introduce some players to make our team more competitive, so don’t worry about it."

The atmosphere turned somber when this matter was mentioned. Some guys even stiffened a little bit, especially those who were rumored to leave the team. They didn’t expect that the coach would address this matter openly.

"Anyway, that would still need to wait until the transfer market opens, so it is not your concern right now." The head coach clapped loudly, snapping the heavy atmosphere in the air. "For now, let’s start our first training session with a physical check! Anyone who fails to meet the threshold, get ready... The next two weeks will be torture for you!" The man grinned ferociously, instilling immense fear in those guys.

"Y—Yes, Sir!"

In the end, that was the only thing they could say as the guys sighed, resigning their fate to the coach. Higo just shook his head in pity for them before he stepped back from the crowd, approaching the team’s goalkeeping coach on the sideline.

The name was Simon Henzler, and he was the one responsible for conditioning the team’s goalkeepers. Higo wasn’t as close to him as he was with Tomasz Waldoch, but the boy still respected Henzler’s professionalism and experience when it came to being a proper goalkeeper.

"So, you are cleared for light and modified training, huh?" The man asked.

"Yes, Sensei." Higo nodded.

"Good. Then, follow me."

Higo left with the man, much to the envy of all the players around. If there was anything that a footballer wanted to avoid the most, it would be the physical test before the pre-season began, as it was always the hardest test of the year.

Their bodies, which had just accustomed to a relaxed state after the break, weren’t ready for any outdoor activity yet, but the coach would just turn a blind eye and force them till they were dropped to see their current situation.

Higo himself couldn’t care less about it right now. No, this was the first proper training that he had had in about one and a half months of absence, and it would be a lie if he said that he wasn’t nervous here.

It seemed that Henzler also noticed this, as the bearded man finally stopped and said, "Calm down, this is just a conditional training. We will approach everything slowly so that your shoulder can adapt to the intensity here first, and then another checkup will determine how ready you are for the real training, okay?"

Higo took a deep breath before nodding solemnly. "Yeah, I understand. Let’s do this, Sensei."

The next two hours passed quickly as Higo himself was too focused to think about the time. No, his mind was completely on the goalkeeping coach’s instructions, not wanting to miss anything. Hell, the boy didn’t even care that he was being isolated right now, knowing that this was an important step for him to come back stronger later.

The training itself didn’t contain anything related to goalkeeping. No, he didn’t dive, jump, stop shots, or do anything that could put pressure on his shoulder. What he did, though, was a footwork job with ladders, cones, and so much more that could help his body catch up with his brain.

Not only that, of course, there would be a training session with him having to play the ball with both his feet.

"The Boss will want us to have more possession in the next season, so you have to get ready when he pushes you to be more active in distributing the ball. Get ready to play with fire a lot more, as you also have to know how to time when to release the ball properly. Not everything has to be cleared away quickly, but you don’t have to wait until your opponent is too close to you. Finding the balance is what we are going to improve."

Well, it would be a lie if Higo said that he enjoyed it, but the boy still followed the order without any complaint. It was so hard for him to hold back the urge to clear the ball away when the opponent was rushing at him, but that was why the boy had to work on that.

Still, even though everything was tiring, Higo clearly enjoyed the session today. Compared to the dark time when he just stared blankly at the ceiling with a sling supporting his shoulder, this was definitely way better for him.

Even Henzler himself couldn’t help but shake his head when he saw this, not expecting the boy to be this excited about training. Well, it was definitely a nice attitude to have, as he saw so many young men fall after they got a renewal contract.

Still, it was his task as the responsible adult to make sure everything was okay, so after more than two hours of training, the man finally stopped Higo from any activities on the pitch.

"Okay, Higo, that’s enough! If you don’t want another visit to the medical department, don’t push too far, okay?!"