When he returned to action last week, his smile was a little brighter than usual. After eight months of hard work coming back from a left knee reconstruction, Dante was back on the field with his teammates. After a first week of training with the squad, the captain, who did not play against Rodez (1-1), spoke to Anthony Clément, in an interview published this Monday in the daily sports paper L'Equipe.

Are you doing as well as you look?

I am very happy, I feel the passion, I feel like a youngster who is just starting out in the pros. Every training session I want to show what I can do, that I am focused. After that, we are coming back from a big injury, we have to respect that. We hope that in a few weeks we'll be at 100%.

Why do you say "we" when you talk about your injury?

Because it's really a team effort. With the medical staff, we constantly lift each other up. As with every problem we face in life, we get through it by being together. That's what has allowed me to make a good recovery.

How do you feel about Christophe Galtier's debut?

It's very positive, and not just because he's the French champion. His discourse is already exciting. You can see his work method, his desire to create something, I really like that. He wants to create a real squad, with a family and competitive spirit. He's very happy to be here and he's very keen to succeed. You can feel that he is ready to do everything to achieve his goals.

► Read the entire interview (in French) in today’s L'Equipe.

---