It’s been almost two years since Florin Gardos last pulled on the red and white, but he’s edging closer to a first-team return.
Recovering Southampton defender Florin Gardos admits it was imperative for him to come through 90 minutes unscathed for the reserves as he aims to return after a long injury lay-off, according to the club’s official website.
The centre-back missed the entirety of the 2015/16 season with a debilitating knee problem, with his last appearance for the South Coast club coming in a 1-0 defeat to West Brom 21 months ago.
However, Gardos, who joined Southampton for around £6 million from Romanian giants Steaua Bucharest in his homeland two summers ago, as reported by the BBC, stepped up his recovery by featuring in the full 90 minutes in a 2-0 defeat to Derby County for the club’s Under-23s on Monday night.
And the 28-year-old hopes that his latest outing can pave the way for a long-awaited return to first-team duties.
“I started slowly with 45, 60 in the last game and now 90,” Gardos told the club’s official website.
“It was a higher pace today, that’s how I felt so again I think it was a good test and I’m just at the beginning. I have to build on this.”
It remains to be seen what role Gardos will play under Saints boss Claude Puel when available this season, with first choice partnership Jose Fonte and Virgil Van Dijk underpinning the Premier League’s fourth best defensive record after ten games.
Furthermore, Japanese international Maya Yoshida has also stepped up to the plate when required, notably keeping the prolific Mauro Icardi on the periphery as the Saints suffered a narrow defeat to Inter Milan in the Europa League recently.
Therefore, Gardos’ patience is likely to be tested even more in the coming months.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
