Training camp
08.01.25
Glatzel continues to work on his comeback
HSV striker Robert Glatzel continues to work diligently on his comeback from injury while at training camp in Belek, including on 8th January – the day of his 31st birthday. Despite finding himself on the sidelines at the minute, he remains focused on working as hard as possible to help the team be successful in the second half of the season.
Celebrating his birthday away from his wife, two daughters and friends isn't unusual for Glatzel, through no fault of his own. As a professional footballer, having a birthday in early January means that you will almost certainly be away at a winter training camp preparing for the second half of the season. This is once again the case this year, with HSV travelling to Belek, Turkey. Glatzel has also made the trip, although he is not yet back in team training after suffering a ruptured tendon in his hip. "I've never suffered a serious injury before in my career, which is why the diagnosis came as a shock," he recalled. "But I'm making good progress and have been able to begin working with the ball again and can continue working on my comeback here. On top of that, I'm also able to be around the team, which feels great and makes me very happy."
The first stage of his return to working with the ball includes a focus on the basics in order to begin regaining his stamina, before steadily increasing the intensity of his workouts. The second phase will see the reintroduction of sprints, endurance runs and harder passes and shots. "Your body has to slowly get used to the workload," Glatzel explained, with the striker not only focused on regaining his fitness in Belek, but also on continuing to take up a role as one of the leaders within the team.
"It's unusual to find myself on the sidelines and to not be able to contribute on the pitch, but I've made sure to talk to the lads here at training camp, whether it's in our rooms, in the gym or in the hotel lobby," Glatzel said. Despite not being able to play at the minute, the striker is still around the team on matchdays to support them. "I'm in the dressing room before kick-off and at half-time, and will talk to the lads, give some tips and just try to help the best I can." Despite his injury, Glatzel is looking forward to the second half of the season getting underway. "I'm extremely fired up for our first game of the year against 1. FC Köln. Firstly, because the season is getting back underway and we'll be playing at home in front of a sold-out crowd, but also because I'm really delighted that we'll be heading into the second half of the season with Merlin Polzin and his coaching staff."
Glatzel's enthusiastic support has been clear to see, especially during the team's last game of 2024. After Otto Stange scored to make it 5-0 against SpVgg Greuther Fürth, Glatzel ran onto the pitch to celebrate as best he could, despite his injury.
"I was just so happy for Otto in that moment, as well as for Merlin and his staff. They are extremely knowledgeable and are great people to boot, so we all agreed that we wanted to continue working together with this set up. Ending the year on a positive note was the cherry on top, which all came out in that spontaneous reaction," Glatzel recalled. While Polzin will need to be patient as he awaits the striker's return, the head coach is naturally already looking forward to having him back available.
"The rough plan is for me to be able to return to team training in February, in order to be fit enough to play in March," said Glatzel, adding "It's tough to predict an exact date, because you always have to take into account how your body will react to the increased workload. But this is the plan I'm sticking to, as it's my main priority." That includes on his birthday, which Glatzel has once again spent in the company of his teammates. "My wife and kids are always the first to call, which is nice. Over the years, we've been able to get used to the fact that this is just how it is," he said. And on that note, Glatzel departs to head to training, where the team will serenade today's birthday boy.