You left FC Sochaux-Montbéliard two weeks ago to continue your rehabilitation in Cap Breton. How are you now?
I’m very good. I’m getting better each day and improving each week.

When you came back to France, you just had a last surgery on your left arm. How’s your elbow at the moment?
It’s going much better. It’s close back to normal as far as flexion, maybe just five degrees off. Getting it really straight is still a bit difficult but it’s going much better. It’s fine for me to play football with so I’m happy with that.

Your started your third week in Cap Breton, at what point are you in your rehabilitation?
I’m outside, running at a good pace, as far as jogging, cutting, agility and playing with the ball. I’m starting to dribble and trying to get the movements back. By the end of next week, I’ll think I’ll be pretty confident to end up joining the team again in training. That will be probably a bit frustrating in the beginning, to train with the guys, but each day that I get to touch the ball, it will become easier and easier. So I can say that things are going well.

You feel you’re making a lot of progression right now…
I made the progression I expected and I had hoped for by coming here. Everything is coming along. I hope to have gained all the progression I’ve hoped for by the end of this rehabilitation in Cap Breton. Being able to sprint is my main goal now. If I can sprint and be as fast as I have been before by next week, I’ll be extremely happy!

Do you expect to join the guys directly after being back at the club or is there still a personal route to follow?
I’m hoping to train with the team as soon as I come back. I’ll be probably not as good as I was directly at the start and I’ll need some extra sessions, one on one, together with Cédric Blomme. I want to be as comfortable as I can in an as short amount of time. I’m hoping to be back as soon as possible and to play some matches by the end of April.

Are you still on schedule for that?
I definitely feel that I’m able to get back towards the end of April. I feel really confident that I’ll be back to myself as far as physical able to run, cut, shoot and do everything that I could before. Right now it’s just continuing day by day. I put pressure on myself to try to come back.

Is it tough over there, being in training all day?
In the beginning it was extremely tough. But I’m getting used to it and it’s a day’s working for me now. It’s more fun than difficult now. I enjoy getting stronger.

Can you describe us a day of your rehabilitation?
I wake up at 07:30 for breakfast and then I go back to my room at 08:00 to listen to some music till nine. At that time I have to be downstairs in the gym. I work out for an hour and have to go to another gym to do cardio for 45 minutes on the treadmill. I have to go to the pool for half an hour at eleven. After the pool, I go to another gym where I get therapy for my elbow for the full thirty minutes. At twelve we have lunch and hang out with the guys. Ashley Cole and Mickael Essien are also here for their rehabilitation. It’s good to have some fellow professionals over here. That’s great! At two o’clock I start a session outside which consist: running, cutting and agility for an hour. At three I go for lifting in the gym again. This time for my legs and my arms, trying to get my left arm stronger after all the problems I had with my elbow. At four I’m back in the gym till five. And at the end, at five, it’s massage or pool. Yes, it’s a pretty eventful day. We end with a dinner at 19:00. Apart from that you don’t have anything else to do. This is like it every day.

Do the guys of FC Sochaux-Montbéliard follow you? Are you in touch with them?
Oh yeah, Yassin Mikari and Jacques Faty do call me almost everyday. The’re really excited how far I’ve come already. Fred Duplus and Damien Perquis did send me some text messages. It’s good to be in contact with them! I know they are excited to have me back and I’m very excited to join them again in two weeks time.

And what do the docs say?
I think they’re pretty impressed. Each week we talk and each week the doc says: ‘wow, you progressed a lot.’ Yesterday he said that I’ve even more progressed than last week. I think they’re very happy with all the progression I made. I think they’re very optimistically about the fact that I’ll be back to play games. They seem all very confident.