After the 11th match day, Franco Di Santo was atop the Bundesliga's scoring list with six goals. Then he got stopped by a knee injury and he was forced to watch the final six matches of the first half from the stands. "I was more nervous than if I was playing," the 25-year-old admitted to WERDER.DE in an interview at Regnum Carya Resort, SV Werder's team hotel in Belek.

WERDER.DE: Franco, many Werder fans are anxiously awaiting your return. When will we see you again with your teammates on the pitch?
Franco Di Santo: "As a player, of course it feels nice when you show me that you like me and hope for my return. I am very happy about that. That is the reason why I always give my best. Unfortunately I do not know when I will be back. I need time to get healthy and see how my knee reacts. But I hope that I am back in a week or two."

WERDER.DE: Can you describe your daily activities here in Belek?
Di Santo: "Essentially, I am working on my comeback just like all of the other injured players. But I am doing specific drills that are not just good for the stability of the knee but also for the entire zone with all muscles around it."

WERDER.DE: Were you able to at least rest a little bit over the Christmas and New Year's holidays?
Di Santo: "I actually didn't really have a day off. Every morning I went through my program to get back as quickly as possible. But don't take that to mean I didn't enjoy the time. I was with my family in Argentina and had a lot of fun ..."

WERDER.DE: Let's go back a bit. How difficult was it for you despite all the optimism to not be on the pitch and be able to help your team?
Di Santo: "Of course that was not easy. I had the feeling that I was much more nervous than if I were able to play myself. You see the match from another perspective and see things that you don't even realise when you're on the pitch. That was difficult, but the guys did a good job and beat one of the best teams in the league in Dortmund. Yeah, Dortmund have had their problems in the league, but they just march on in the Champions League. We showed that we can do it. Now we have to play with more consistency in the second half."

WERDER.DE: And that's exactly what you are working on in the winter camp. How difficult was it to come back from the 40 degree Argentinean summer to the cool weather in Bremen and here in Belek?
Di Santo: "A lot of people ask this question but it's really not a problem for me anymore. I know the cooler temperatures because I have been away from home since I was 16 years old. This has become normal for me."