Gabbiadini: “Horrible feeling to play without fans, but they’ll be behind us”

Manolo Gabbiadini couldn’t wait to get back to the Mugnaini and be put through his paces after a tough period: “It’s great to be training again together on the pitch. It’s what we missed the most.” The players live and breathe football and when they are unable to play, it’s difficult to keep morale up. Thankfully, it will be possible to see the forward and the rest of the Samp charges in action again soon, with Serie A set to restart on 21 June. “After a long break, it’s important to listen to our bodies, but we do want to play. It’s a horrible feeling not to have the fans there, but we need to secure safety. We’ll always be thinking about our fans, knowing they’ll be right behind us.”

“Playing every three days is like a whole different sport,” stated the 28-year-old, in reference to his time involved in various cup competitions at Napoli. “You’re always travelling, you don’t train much and the key is to recover well, which is what we’re working towards in training. The signs look good and we’re doing all we can to prepare for the final stretch of the season as well as possible.”

Gabbiadini, who was born and received his footballing education in Bergamo, has never forgotten the team and city where he grew up and where the residents have had a particularly difficult few months. “My parents still live there and what they’ve told me about this time has had a big impact on me. I had COVID-19 and I was fine, but not everyone can say that. I still have the image in my head of the coffins being removed by the army, which was very unpleasant. Having said that, I know the people of Bergamo, who are very strong and they’ll come through this. We hope that the worst is behind us now.”