Leonardo Spinazzola’s surgeon, Dr. Lasse Lempainen, was interviewed by Corriere dello Sport following the fullback’s final consultation in Turku, Finland.
Lempainen was asked about an exact return date for the 29-year-old, but given the intense nine-month recovery, the surgeon refused to make any such predictions. “It’s not up to me to decide. I think you’ll see him back on the pitch before the end of the season.”
“Now he can start training with the team to find the best athletic condition. Maybe he won’t play ninety minutes right away: normally you start slowly in stages, 10-15 minutes per game.”
When asked whether Spinazzola will be the same player as before, Lempainen replied, “We did our best in order to ensure that. Personally I’m convinced he’ll be even better.”
“The process that he had to undertake was long and very detailed, we studied every single element within his body to prevent any further major injuries from occurring.”
“Naturally, we’ll be staying in touch with Roma for any exchange involving health information as well as evaluating Spinazzola’s evolution on the pitch.”
One last warning, Lempainen added, “Spinazzola must not be hurried back, because the rupture of the Achilles tendon in his case was total, not partial.”
