Luciano Spalletti on Igor Denisov and other Zenit injuries

Zenit’s head coach, Luciano Spalletti, commented on Igor Denisov at the team practice at Udelny Park upon my request.

- Luciano, Igor Denisov has disappeared from view. Why’s that?
- Denisov hasn’t disappeared at all. Unfortunately he hot injured. I already talked about that.

- What kind of injury is that? When did Denisov get inured, if he had playing in every match, and then suddenly didn’t go with the team to France?!
- Denisov has an ankle injury. What do you mean, when did he get inured? We have hard tickles all the time at practice. It was in one those that Denisov was injured.

- I’m writing that down?
- Ya, write it like that, how else?

- Well, basically there are various conversations going around...
- I’m not interested in rumors. I’m telling you like it is. Igor has a difficult and painful injury.

- When will Denisov start playing again?
- He just took off his cast which was holding his ankle in place. Denisov is practicing under his own program now. It’s obvious that he needs some time to completely recover. I can’t say right now what the exact date of his return will be.

- So how are things with Ivica Krizanac?
- His cast was taken off not long ago, so he’ll need more time to get back into playing form than Denisov did. Right now Krizanac is working on an individual program.

- But there were conversations going around that Ivica might have to give up playing football for good after his injury...
- There you go again with the rumors! You see for yourself that Krizanac has returned to the team, and is working with us.

- And Rosina and Huszti? Are they all right?
- What should be wrong with them?

- You haven’t even included them in the team for the last several matches!
- Huszti was called up to play with Hungary, and Rosina is practicing with us. So everything’s fine. And as for the fact that they weren't included in team for the last few games: that’s what rotating players is all about. We have really hard competition right now, so some players aren’t included in the team on match day from time to time.