INTERVIEW
FERNANDO LLORENTE
After European heroics during his days at Spurs, the 37-year-old is back in the Basque Country with Eibar this season
You signed on for Eibar in Spain’s second tier in November. Was it time to go home to the Basque Country?
Like every summer, I returned to San Sebastian with my family, waiting for a proposal that would convince me. Unfortunately, nothing interested me so I was left without a team, which was a very strange feeling. I finished last season at Udinese with a lot of desire to continue and physically I felt good, so it hurt to be out of action for almost five months, without training or doing pre-season. The body suffers if you abandon daily work and that took its toll. In fact, I’ve found it hard to get back to feeling good – small muscular setbacks have stopped me from training normally, and made it difficult to get more quality minutes in matches. I’m working to solve all the problems so I can help the team in our goal of returning to the Primera.
You’re 37 now. Does the spectre of retirement loom over you?
You think about it when you’re injured, you can’t train and you see that things are not like before. It’s about finding the right way to work well and keep going. I’m looking forward to having some continuity, playing matches and getting into the rhythm of competition.