Reading’s Lucas Joao has told the club website that his injury was worse than expected but that he’s happy to be fully fit now.
The 26-year-old striker, who has been capped two times by Portugal, signed for Reading from Sheffield Wednesday last summer. Uniquely, he actually scored against Reading to help the Owls beat them in his final game before switching to the Royals.
He had been a solid player for Reading over his first few months, scoring five goals in 18 appearances for the club. However, he suffered a huge blow on New Years Day. In the traditional fixture which was against Fulham, Joao pulled his hamstring which at first seemed to be minor. But upon further examination, it was far more serious than that and it would keep him out for 12 weeks.
In the end, the suspension of the season has benefitted Joao as it has allowed him to get fully fit so can help them finish the year on a high.
Joao said: “To start the year with an injury is not good – that wasn’t in my plans! It was frustrating to be injured.
“I’ve been lucky though – this situation hasn’t been too bad for me and it’s helped me to be fit for when the league reopens. I had some time off, enjoyed myself, spent time with the family, improved my skills in the kitchen! And now I’m fit and ready to go.
“It might not have looked like it, but it was a serious injury. I pulled my hamstring, and it was really bad. I was out for 12 weeks. It didn’t look so bad at the beginning, but then I had a scan and we realised that it was not good.
“It was hard; with these kinds of injuries, you might feel better after four weeks but you cannot play because of the risk of re-injury – the percentage is so high. You just need to wait and work. That’s what I’ve done.
“Now I’m ready to go and I’m happy for that. I hope that I can help the team as soon as the games start.”
