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Wood playing on with aid of painkillers as Hamburg faces relegation threat

Bobby Wood is doing his best to lead Hamburg’s attack, but it’s certainly not easy for the U.S. Men’s National Team forward.

Hamburg manager Marcus Gisdol revealed that Wood is playing through a knee injury, requiring the aid of painkillers as the club faces a relegation fight. With just two games remaining, Hamburg currently sits in 16th, which would see the club face a relegation playoff.

“Bobby has been biting through for weeks, training with painkillers…,” Gisdol said, according to German outlet Kicker. “He has experienced a real performance explosion this season, but of course he is not yet stable at this high level. Bobby is classified as an absolute performer, he comes from the second league. I find the criticism of him unfair.”

Wood and Hamburg are currently out of safety by just goal difference heading into Saturday’s visit to Schalke. The club will then wrap up the Bundesliga campaign with a match against Wolfsburg.

Comments

  1. While you can play through some pain, you should not play through injuries that can be career threatening or changing. I would NEVER mess with knee pain. EVER! They more than us, but I hope that he is getting a second, OUTSIDE opinion. A 24 yr old shouldn’t rick his career, a 34 yr with a long contract and savings in the bank can.

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  2. There are some injuries you can play through and some you can’t.

    How about we leave it up to Bobby, the doctors, and the club to figure out which one it is? Ppl have to push through (some) injuries in sports all the time. That’s just the way it is.

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  3. We know teams battling relegation will do any and everything to stay up and here it looks as if they are willing to risk further injury to Wood because he is their top ST. For me, this is a case of the club not having his best interest at heart, and we as US fans can only hope Wood doesn’t further injure his knee.

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  4. Worried this could lead to a more serious or chronic injury. Hope the club knows what they’re doing and not just dogging Bobby out to hope to avoid relegation. A serious injury right now would really set him back just when he’s starting to break out.

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  5. This is a awful idea and shows that the coach is selfish and that Wood has lost his mind playing on a injured knee which could get worse if he continues to do so and not rest up.

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    • Without knowing the details of what exactly the injury is, or the extent of it, or how close to being fully healed, that may not be accurate. That said, I too hope he’s not putting long-term health and ability at risk for short-term possible benefit.

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  6. I love the fact that Bobby is soldiering on and putting his team above his health but does anyone else cringe when you read “training with painkillers”?

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    • He is putting his career on the line, when you play with an injury, especially a joint injury. I am surprised that the DFK and FIFA allow players to compete on painkillers as most clubs will abuse them. I think we are taking more here than over the counter NSAIDS (which can also have sever effects)
      Having worked at a coach in another sport that had severe problems with PED’s, you are required to know which drugs and at what dosage you can safely take with, or without, a TUE, (Therapeutic Use Exemption)

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  7. Interesting. I was wondering why his production had dropped off. Hopefully this isn’t a major injury that he’s trying to play through. With any luck the two weeks of rest between the end of the BL and the qualifiers will be enough for him to mend. The relegation fight will be fun to watch!!

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