Sergio Canales, the reborn. Just days after returning from a serious muscle injury that had him in the dry dock for a month and a half, the Santander midfielder has managed to change Betis's face. The most optimistic forecasts spoke of his return by the end of February but Sergio has managed to shorten that period by no less than two months. “He has not stopped working, he is the best example as a professional”, confesses his coach, Manuel Pellegrini, these days.
Canales returned to play in the last match of 2020, against Levante, with a final half hour in which he scored two goals to give suspense to a game that seemed lost. And just five days later he managed to become the best of Betis during the derby, this time playing from the beginning. Pellegrini changed him in the 80 'and of course it was noticed by the Verdiblancos, who almost did not appear in the area of the Sevilla goalkeeper Bono from that minute to the end.
“I made it my goal to be before the end of the year. I am not one hundred percent, I am still on the handbrake in some plays. I try to be smart and focus on all the aggressive gestures I can make. It is something that we have talked about, I still have a little left to be at one hundred percent, “said the midfielder in Onda Cero.
Beticismo appreciates like few others, without any fissures, who without any doubt is already the best player in the Verdiblanca squad. Joaquín's absence due to coronavirus, in fact, allowed Canales to wear the captain's armband in the derby. “I feel like home to Betis, Racing will always be my team, but this is a very passionate club and they make you feel it. It comes from within and makes you enjoy football more, “acknowledges the reborn from Heliópolis.