Kasumu does not dwell on the threat of injury recurrences

“If you’re on the pitch, it means you’re fit enough to play”
David Kasumu insists he shows no fear of injury recurrences when he steps onto the pitch. The midfielder has made just 23 outings this season. David Kasumu insists he shows no fear of injury recurrences when he steps onto the pitch. The midfielder has made just 23 outings this season.
David Kasumu insists he shows no fear of injury recurrences when he steps onto the pitch. The midfielder has made just 23 outings this season.

Twice this season David Kasumu has spent lengthy periods on the side lines, but he hold no fear about recurring issues when he steps onto the pitch.

Hamstring problems ruled the 22-year-old out for the first two months of the season, and a separate issue picked up at Accrington Stanley then saw him miss most of January and February too.

Making his return in the win over Sunderland at the Stadium of Light, Kasumu showed no signs of fear or trepidation as he put in a typically tenacious showing off the bench. And from there he hasn’t looked back and has not feared a recurrence of his injury problems.

“Sometimes it's in the back of your mind, but you can't allow yourself to think about that,” he said. “If you're on the pitch, it means you're fit enough to play, they won't let us back unless we're fit.

“When I'm on the pitch, I know I'm fit and healthy, I'm ready to give it my all. Whether it's training or a game, I'm relentless with it. That's my mentality.

“It has been a stop-start season for me, but I'm back, I'm healthy, I'm fully fit and I'm enjoying my football right now. There's no better feeling being back and with the boys again.

“It's tough for any player to get injuries, but it is a part of the game and it's all about how you bounce back from them. What I've tried to focus on after my last setback was how I comeback, how I can get back into the team and what sort of impact I can make as soon as I'm back.

“The medical team here are brilliant and they help you step-by-step, and the management team keep you in the loop too.”

Although he has only made 23 appearances this term, Kasumu has remained on the tip of people’s tongues throughout his injury stints, with supporters eager to see the midfielder return to action again.

Kasumu said the messages and attention he received while he was in the treatment room meant a lot for his morale, and said the atmosphere in and around Stadium MK ensured he remained a firm part of the first team fold.

He said: “It means a lot - I see these things too. Sometimes when you're in the treatment room, you wonder if you're being forgotten about but then you see your name continue to be mentioned, you're still in the loop.

“It helps, it makes you more eager to come back and it makes you feel a part of it.”