http://impresa.elmercurio.com/Pages...61&dtB=05-08-2014 0:00:00&BodyID=4&PaginaId=4
One of the most recurring topics during Chile's appearance at the World Cup was the operated knee of Arturo Vidal which, according to Sampaoli, allowed him to play at around 30-40% of his level at Juventus, and has kept 'Celia Punk' [apparently nicknamed after the Cuban singer, Celia Cruz] in a guarded (or delicate) condition.
Sampaoli praised the "enthusiasm, temperament, and fantastic example Vidal set for all, even at the cost of complicating his personal objectives in the future. Because
I know, right now, for example, that the great obstacle in his transfer from Juventus to Manchester United is the doubt van Gaal (United's trainer) has regarding the improvement of Vidal's knee" [Emphasis mine]
Q:
And you, sir, do you think that's fair? Don't you think you should have protected a bit more the condition of the player?
Sampaoli: There are different viewpoints, and all very legitimate. But Vidal's character, the message sent by his attitude to his teammates, as someone responsible for the side, is all you can ask. It was really outstanding. Impressive."
Q:
Was it necessary to field him against N. Ireland, after the rain, and only a few weeks after being operated on?
Sampaoli: The truth is, it wasn't in the plan for Vidal to play that game in Valparaiso. However, soon after it began, he asked me to play (him) for a while, well, because he wanted to see how the knee felt. The truth is, that week he had already carried out high loading [on the knee], and we didn't believe the demands in training were less than those in the game against Ireland so, ultimately, he played those 15 minutes."
credit @
PoliceMachines on reddit.com/r/reddevils