Louis Thompson says he is buzzing to be back after almost two years out injured.
Thompson, who came on against West Bromwich Albion before playing the full 90 minutes in the Carabao Cup against Stevenage, hadn’t played since making his first Championship start against Leeds United in November 2016. He was first sidelined by a pelvic injury before twice rupturing his Achilles within a space of six months.
Following surgery and a lengthy spell of rehab, Thompson enjoyed a good pre-season and is looking to kick on and remind everyone why he was so highly rated when City signed him from Swindon Town in 2014.
Speaking to OTBC, our official matchday programme, Thompson said the reception he received when he came on against West Brom was fantastic.
“It was a goosebump moment for me,” he said. “The fans have been brilliant with me. It’s not easy when you’re out for so long because you can be forgotten, and people can be a bit like ‘what’s this guy doing’? It’s been a tough time so I’ve been thankful for the faith and trust the fans have shown in me and I’m hopeful I can repay that.”
Thompson, 23, was described as being “like a new signing” by Daniel Farke in pre-season, and he admits he’s surprised himself with how well his comeback has gone so far.
“With the injuries I’ve had, I think it was normal for me to expect some sort of pain,” he said. “But I haven’t had any and I’ve felt good and strong, and I’ve felt fit. So I think my goal heading into pre-season was to get through it and present myself in the best way possible to the manager. I wasn’t naïve – I knew there was a possibility I may go out on loan to get some game time after being out for two years.
“For me to have come in and be involved as I have has been a surprise for me. I wasn’t expecting it at the start of pre-season, but even from the first session I felt a lot better than I thought I would. I felt sharp, and my mind wasn’t as slow as I thought it was going to be. I’m loving every minute of being back on the football pitch.”
Thompson was full of praise for the physios and the sports scientists who have seen him through his long recovery, as well as Stuart Webber and Daniel Farke.
“Stuart has been fantastic, and the manager has been absolutely fantastic with me this pre-season. It would have been easy for him to make me train each and every session, but he’s trusted the staff and myself to miss a few sessions where I needed a break to allow my Achilles to adapt and now I’m able to be there in every session and train at 100%. Hopefully now I can keep going and improving.”
You can read the full seven-page interview with Louis Thompson in Saturday’s OTBC, which is just £3 for 108 pages of brilliant content. If you can’t make the game, you can buy it HERE.