Gio Reyna has endured his fair share of injuries, with spells on the sidelines leading to the United States international kicking a video game habit.
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Midfielder has struggled with knocksEnjoying full fitness at presentHas changed routine off the pitchWHAT HAPPENED?
The Borussia Dortmund playmaker is still just 20 years of age, but he is into a fifth season in senior football. Reyna has passed the 100-appearance mark in Germany, but would have liked to have reached that mark much earlier than he did.
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Fitness issues have held him back at times, but stints on the treatment table have allowed the highly-rated midfielder to change his personal life for the better. Reyna has told Tim Ream’s podcast: “You learn things that you try to add into your rhythm, so it’s not just training, coming home, sitting alone, playing video games. Try to get more healthy habits into your day-to-day life, whether it’s going for a walk, or I don’t know, reading something, or just trying to pick up a new little habit.”
WHAT THEY SAID
Reyna has taken important lessons from his injury setbacks and feels he has become a stronger player and person because of them. He added: “You learn a lot in the process of being injured, not only physically but mentally. I’m only 20 and I feel like in the last few years I’ve gained so much more experience that I even try to give to younger guys here, and the younger guys at Dortmund too. Football can eat you up and spit you out at times. It’s a ruthless business, which everyone knows, and you face it at some point in your career.”
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Reyna has returned to the USMNT squad during the latest international break. He was included from the off by Gregg Berhalter in a friendly date with Germany – with 65 minutes taken in as United States attempt to come up with a system that allows them to get their best players into the same starting XI.