Before going home, the players received some difficult news from the home base: the confirmation of the bleak prediction for Denis Klinar who had to leave Belek prematurely to undergo an operation and who will be absent for the better part of the spring season.

“After his left knee injury, he underwent an arthroscopic operation due to a meniscus and cartilage structure injury. The rehabilitation period is expected to last two months,” said Matjaž Vogrin, MD, PhD, after the operation that took place at the University Medical Centre Maribor.

Klinar was already released to home care; here is what he had to say about this unpleasant turn of events: “I’m sorry that I had to interrupt my preparatory period in such a way, after everything that I’ve already accomplished. I’ll do whatever it takes for a successful recovery, in line with the instructions provided by the medical team, and I will make sure to come back in even better shape and with a suitable degree of self-confidence. As far as the team is concerned, I wish them a successful end of the preparatory period, without further complications, and a good start of the spring part.”