Walsall midfielder Maziar Kouhyar, who missed much of the 2016/17 campaign after tearing his lateral meniscus while on international duty with Afghanistan, has spoken to club journalists and discussed how his overall campaign went, including how much he learned during his spell on the sidelines.
Maz, who scored his first senior goal during the Saddlers' Checkatrade Trophy victory over Grimsby Town, said; "For me it was a good and a bad season. I learned a lot and towards the start I was put into the first team early, and I got my international call-up as well. But then I got my injury and that made me much mentally stronger. To deal with that is quite hard.
"I tore my lateral meniscus and that was meant to keep me out for 10 weeks, but after that there were more problems. I was coming out with swelling and things like that and my knee had to get used to playing again. It kept me out for most of the season. After that I got myself fitter and stronger so, to be fair, it was a good season for me."
19-year-old Kouhyar, who was appearing on Saddlers TV. continued; "You learn a lot about things like maintaining your body - every morning doing bikes, stretches and certain exercises to keep your body ticking over. It helped a lot.
"Dieting too - when you’re not playing football you have to keep to a certain diet to make sure you don’t put on weight. I learned a lot in that. Football changes so quick because before my injury I was feeling on top of the world. After that I wasn’t even touching a ball - it’s a big contrast.
"At the end of the season, getting the Walsall Senior Cup win, finishing top of the league (with the developmental squad) and getting that one senior appearance as well gives you that little taste of what I can bring next season."
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