This week's Flying Kiwis
"So… that first season with PSV didn’t quite go as planned. Ryan Thomas got the big move to the big club but then busted his knee almost straight away and missed the entire campaign, as PSV watched rivals Ajax win a league and cup double while making the semis of the Champions League. But that Ajax team are going to lose a lot of those fellas in this transfer window which should open things right up just as Thommo is returning to fitness.
And with PSV having to get into the Champions League the hard way, drawing FC Basel of Switzerland in the second qualifying round which begins in just a month’s time… preseason training has already begun ahead of time. In fact they’re a week into it already.
PSV.nl: “PSV head coach Mark van Bommel put his players through their paces on the first day of pre-season training at De Herdgang training facilities. Jorrit Hendrix, Mauro Júnior, Trent Sainsbury, Matthias Verreth, Sam Lammers, Nick Viergever, Bart Ramselaar, Jordan Teze, Pablo Rosario, Joël Piroe, Luuk Koopmans, Mike van de Meulenhof, Hidde Jurjus, Zakaria Aboukhlal, Dante Rigo, Mohamed Ihattaren and Derrick Luckassen did a lot of running, before they started to practise incisive passing and precise finishing. Ryan Thomas and Hirving Lozano trained separately from the main group.”
Thommo training aside from the main group. Not quite back to full fitness then but he’s getting there and we’re a little while away from the season yet. A month until that first game, much longer until the league yarns. It’s been ten months since he sustained his injury.
A number of internationals aren’t with the squad at the moment – although Mexican star Hirving Lozano is, he’s still recovering from an injury against Michael Woud’s Willem II back in April. However Lozano’s still likely to be sold on this window, with Napoli very keen for his signature. Fullback Angeliño is also likely to be bought back by Manchester City and Luuk de Jong is another whose name gets in the rumour mills. They have signed Ibrahim Afellay though and Arjen Robben is a possibility by the sounds of it."