Former Torino defender Schuurs: My knee is fine, I'm ready for my Torino derby

Schuurs has returned to Torino. He arrived in an NEC shirt. NEC will face Juventus tomorrow evening in the first Europa League match of the season. The former Dutch defender of Torino said in an interview with Sky Sport Italia: "I can play tomorrow, my knee is in very good condition, I'm ready for the derby."

Returning to Torino in a new shirt…

"Torino is my home, it will always be in my heart, and I'm very happy to be back here."

Back on the pitch after 3 years, and even scoring…

"These 3 years have been very difficult, especially mentally. I couldn't do what I love, and that was really hard. I was just happy to be able to play, and then I scored, it was like a dream."

Did he ever fear he'd have to retire?

"Of course, I thought about it many times. But no doctor ever told me I had to, so I never gave up."

What about tomorrow's match?

"We're a team that always wants to attack. It will be a very difficult match, but we're here to win, and we're full of confidence."

What are NEC's goals?

"We want to do better than last season, and tomorrow will be a very important match for us. This season we hope to develop continuously, match by match, and see where we finish. Tomorrow will be the toughest match of our first 8 games."