At this point, most Juventus fans know the sad story of Mohamed Ihattaren’s disappearance, but here’s a small recap.
The 19-year-old (who was supposed to be spending the season at Sampdoria on loan from the Bianconeri) went AWOL.
Later, it was revealed that the youngster returned to the Netherlands as he’s dealing with a depression related to the death of his father two years ago.
Some believed that the player could retire from the sport altogether, but his personal trainer has a different opinion.
Jordy Best is currently working with the attacking midfielder to rediscover his best shape, and has provided some updates on the situation.
“The way I see it, he has never thought of leaving football, but this is just my opinion,” said Best as reported by Calciomercato.
“Managing individual programs for professional athletes is my job, to make them perform at their best physically and mentally. He is training hard and is always ready to give his maximum potential.
“He’s making a great impression on me, I don’t see big differences from the Mo of a couple of seasons ago in terms of commitment and attitude to work,” concluded the personal trainer.
Juve FC say
This is certainly another encouraging sign that the player is not willing to succumb to depression and hang his boots.
Ihattaren has already changed his agent (from Mino Raiola to Ali Dursun) and now his personal trainer says that he’s working hard in practice. These surely aren’t signs of someone who’s ready to give up.
However, it remains to be seen if he can still resurrect his Juventus stint.