AMSTERDAM – Though it is still too soon to gauge precisely when he will be back in action, AZ Alkmaar top gun Aron Jóhannsson reports his rehab from a groin operation is basically on schedule.
Back in August, the US forward was nearing his return from offseason ankle surgery when it was determined that he also required some patch-up work on the troublesome groin muscle.
"The recovery is going in the right direction," Jóhannsson told AZ TV on Friday. "If everything goes well, I hope [to return] some time in October. It's difficult to say if it's the first week in October or the last week, but I'm doing my best to get fit."
Even though the injuries limited his World Cup 2014 to a sub appearance in the victory over Ghana, the 23-year-old is in no mood to complain over the experience.
"I will always look back at this summer as an amazing journey," Jóhannsson said. "Obviously, I wanted to play in the other games as well, but I wasn't really 100 percent fit and able to show my best in training."
The Alabama-born marksman feels more frustrated about missing the first four-games-and-counting of the new Eredivisie season for a pair of very specific reasons.
"It's always difficult not to play, but especially in the beginning with a new coaching staff," he said, clearly eager to impress the new AZ boss, Netherlands strike legend Marco van Basten.
"And of course, I want to be the top scorer in the league, but we'll see how many games I can play after the injury."
In addition to the aim of topping his 17 league goals from last season, Jóhannsson is hoping to help restore AZ to the Eredivisie top five. After eight such finishes in nine years, the Cheese Farmers have dipped to 10th and eighth the past two seasons.
"I think if you look at our squad on paper, and everyone can stay fit the whole year, top five would be a good season for us," declared Jóhannsson. "This year, we have no excuses; there is no Europa League, so we have one game a week."
Greg Seltzer covers Americans based in Europe for MLSsoccer.com.
