Ricardo Vaz Te says that he will not return from injury to the West Ham side too quickly, and will make sure he is back to full fitness first.
The winger became injured with a dislocated shoulder at the Arsenal game earlier this month. Vaz Te had started the season well for Sam Allardyce's side, appearing seven times for the Hammers, with one goal and two assists.
However, he had to have shoulder surgery, ruling Vaz Te out for approximately three months.
Vaz Te has now had keyhole surgery and he has started rehabilitation. He said to West Ham’s official website that now has “four week during which there is nothing much I can do to, so I just have to make sure I relax and look after myself.”
He added: “I have a week off to either go home or simply chill out and relax. Then I’ll come back for two weeks and that completes the first four weeks, which are just steady recovery. After that, I will begin to increase my workload for the next six weeks. After that, the socket involved should be totally healed and only until then can I push on. Until then, the work is mild and I just have to relax and make sure I get the movement back.”
Vaz Te is not a stranger to being injured for a lengthy period, having already suffered a knee ligament injury in the past. He said that he has learnt from past experience, and he knows he has to have patience in the recovery process. He said: “If you don’t heal properly then you are never right and are always playing catch-up. I have to make sure I fully relax and let the socket and everything heal and only after that can I actually push. Overall, they have given me 12 weeks, but obviously if I can return earlier I will do but only if it is safe to do so. I just have to concentrate on recovering properly and making sure that, when I get back, I am fully fit rather than halfway there and break down again. It is frustrating I have to put my plans on hold. I have got a lot of things I want to achieve, obviously.”
Vaz Te scored the goal that brought West Ham back into the Premier League for this season.
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