Daryl Janmaat is determined to return from a “rare” injury in optimum shape for what he is praying will be another season in the Premier League.
The Duch full-back has been out of action since the 2-0 win at Carrow Road in early November with a knee problem. He was ruled out for the rest of the season several months ago and is now working hard with a trusted trainer in his homeland to make sure he is fighting fit for the 2020/21 campaign.
“I feel good,” said Janmaat, who has made 85 appearances for the Hornets since joining from Newcastle in the summer of 2016.
“My trainer is building me up again and hopefully I will be back early next season. We gave up this season as it was not realistic anymore, so now we are taking it day by day, week by week.
“I'm doing well really, improving all the time and hopefully I can continue this way and I can be back fit again early next season.”
The 235-day spell on the sidelines has easily been the longest of an otherwise fairly durable career that started at Heerenveen, featured a transfer to boyhood club Feyenoord and then Newcastle on the back of a fine performance at the 2014 World Cup. At 30, he is approaching his peak years so this injury came at an inopportune time.
“It's been really frustrating,” he said. “I had a bacterial infection in my knee after the Norwich game and some meniscus problems, so they repaired that during surgery in England.
“I was better but then I was struggling with pain and fluid in my knee, so I went to Holland, had a second check in April and we did some samples and there was an infection in it again, so I needed another clean out.
“I've been on strong antibiotics after that for six weeks and that infection has now been killed. It's been a really long time and really frustrating as I've never had something like this before. It's really rare.”
Janmaat has been out for so long he hasn't yet played under Nigel Pearson, but he has been rooting for the team from afar and been kept abreast of things by his close friend Dan Bachmann.
“It's been hard watching the boys at times,” said Janmaat. “It was not nice seeing them struggle, but we have picked up some big results and the most important thing is to stay in the Premier League – it doesn't matter how.
“I've had to focus on myself as I can't affect the team, so I'm seeing this as a chance to get really fit and have four or five more years. I want to be back strong so I'm working really hard, but I do watch the team and I want them to win.”
