St. Pauli winger Scot Banks has admitted he was grateful the club didn’t send him back to Crystal Palace last year, despite him suffering a long-term injury.
The 22-year-old has been speaking to MOPO about his time in Germany so far and his determination to bounce back after spending a year on the sidelines.
The winger joined St. Pauli on loan from Crystal Palace in August last year but only managed four appearances and 68 minutes of action in total before suffering a cruciate ligament tear that ruled him out for the season.
That injury saw him spend 254 days on the treatment table and miss 31 games for St. Pauli, further disappointing for the player given the German side went on to secure promotion to the Bundesliga.
Banks was still able to enjoy that success as St. Pauli made the interesting decision to keep him at the club throughout his injury lay off, preferring for him to stay and undergo his rehabilitation with them rather than him return to Crystal Palace.
“I have already emphasised several times how grateful I am to FC St. Pauli,” he said.
“They made it possible for me to do the rehabilitation in Hamburg. They didn’t have to do that, they could have said: You have the injury, go back to Crystal Palace and do the rehab there.
“But they said: No, you are part of the team, part of the group. Do this and we can take care of you. Everyone in the club, from sports director Andreas Bornemann to the staff, the equipment supervisor, everyone accompanied me on the journey through the injury.
“That (returning) was a no-brainer. Of course, also because of the Bundesliga, which is a great opportunity for me as a player.
“But when I say that, last season it was difficult for me to see myself as part of the group: now I have a new opportunity to contribute something and show it to everyone. Also, the fans, they have also been so good to me throughout this time.”
