Lage hoping the power of literature will help Kalajdzic's recovery | OneFootball

Wolverhampton Wanderers boss Bruno Lage says he offered Sasa Kalajdzic a book to read after the striker underwent knee surgery recently.

Kalajdzic joined Wolves from Stuttgart this summer but lasted just 45 minutes on his debut before suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury which could sideline him for around nine months.

And Lage is hoping the power of literature will help the Austrian international maintain a positive mindset during his recovery.

“I offered him a book for him to read,” Lage said, as quoted by the Express and Star.

“When you have bad feelings, you have a book and you can spend your time reading. I think it’s a good book and I read it in my holidays.

“He has more time (to read it), so I offered it to him and to Chiquinho.”

That injury to Kalajdzic forced Wolves to go back to the drawing board, and they have since brought in another striker in the form of Diego Costa on a free transfer to fill the void.

And Lage says while it has been a difficult period for the club, Kalajdzic’s team-mates have also rallied around him in recent weeks.

“It was a hard day. We had our first victory playing with a striker in the box and we could see the dynamic he gave to us,” he said.

“We scored one goal and at half-time I received a message from one of my assistants that he doesn’t feel comfortable, but it’s nothing special.

“That’s why I said to you at the end that it’s nothing special and I left the press conference and then received the worst news.

“I was here with his family and wife, talking about the big challenge and everything that was new, he accepted the challenge to come to the Premier League and play against these teams, and he just played 45 minutes and now he has a long period in front of him to recover.

“You can see the emotional side, but this is life. If it was me, I’d be sad for at least one or two days, but in football you don’t have time.

“He’s been here every day and everyone is giving him big support. He keeps saying ‘I’ll be ready soon’, and that’s important for motivation.”

“Good feelings around him can help him in his recovery.”