Austria’s football team boss Ralf Rangnick has not yet given up hope that his captain David Alaba will play in the European Championship. The German confirmed this on Monday before the friendly against Turkey in Vienna. Alaba is currently with the team despite his rehabilitation program after tearing his cruciate ligament.
However, it is extremely questionable whether the Viennese will be fit by the start of the European Championship against France on June 17th. “It will definitely be a close race,” said Rangnick. “Of course we still hope that it’s enough. But we also have to be realistic and know in the back of our minds what we’ll do if it’s not enough.” Alaba suffered the serious knee injury on December 17th in a league game for Real Madrid. Six months of rehabilitation time is the absolute minimum for a torn cruciate ligament.
“Hope dies Last”
“Hope dies last,” emphasized Rangnick. “I think that we will be able to say a little more at the beginning or middle of May, in six or seven weeks.” Shortly after Pentecost – probably on May 21st – the team boss will announce his main squad for the tournament in Germany. The immediate preparation for the European Championship starts on May 29th in Windischgarsten. There are two more test games on the program on June 4th in Vienna against Serbia and on June 8th in St. Gallen against Switzerland.
Alaba will watch the third-to-last European Championship test against the Turks in the stadium on Tuesday (8:45 p.m., live on ORF1). Before the game he will collect his tenth trophy as Austria’s Footballer of the Year.
