For the most part, 2023 has been a frustrating year for Nabil Fekir. The 30-year-old suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury back in February, which has kept him out of action until now. His absence has been left by Real Betis, albeit less so in recent weeks following the excellent performances of Isco Alarcon since his arrival in the summer.
Still, Fekir remains a key player for Los Verdiblancos, and the good news for them is that he is nearing a return. Head coach Manuel Pellegrini, who was speaking to the media ahead of Wednesday’s Copa del Rey match against CD Hernan Cortes, revealed that Fekir is back in group training, as per Relevo.
“He has joined the team for the first time. We’ll see how he evolves in the next week so as to know when he can be included in the squad list. I can’t give an exact date.”
Pellegrini also spoke on new signing Sokratis, who joined last week as a free agent. However, he will not be available for the next few weeks as he looks to build up his fitness after previously being without a club since the summer.
“I see him as a player who hasn’t played for months, but all the medical tests show that he’s normal in terms of both weight and fat. He’s adapting to the physical work of a professional team, which is different from doing it alone at home. He has to adapt to the operation of the equipment as well. I think he’ll be ready after the international break.”
Sokratis’ return to fitness will also be eagerly anticipated with Real Betis and Pellegrini, as they will soon have some sort of depth in his squad’s central defence department.
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