Shakhtar midfielder Maxim Malyshev shared his opinion on his recovery from surgery on his knee.

Malyshev was injured in the match for the Super Cup of Ukraine against Dynamo and since then he has not participated in the games. In early September, the midfielder successfully underwent surgery and gradually began to restore. Maxim will return to the field around the end of winter or early spring.

- Maxim, Happy New Year! First of all, tell me, how do you feel?.

- Thank God, it's good already. Everything goes according to plan. I am engaged every day - our physiotherapists have written me a program. Gradually increase the load, I do special exercises, in which the knee does not bother me. For the final restoration, it takes time. I do not want to make any plans, but I hope that at the second meeting I will start training with the team.

- How did you celebrate the New Year? Did you manage to relax?.

- Yes, I was with my wife in the warm regions, however, it was not possible to get completely distracted and I did not have a rest, because every day I practiced for several hours. But now it is important to recover as soon as possible after an injury. New Year was greeted in Kiev with friends: Sasha Karavaev and Zhenya Radchuk. Also called up with the guys from Shakhtar, congratulated each other. It is a pity that this year because of the operation it did not turn out to go to Donetsk. I wanted to go home very much, but, having consulted with club doctors, decided to stay in Kiev. It is necessary to train every day, because, as I said, now I have the primary task - full recovery.

- What are your plans for the remaining days of your vacation?.

- On January 7, Igor Gryshkovich, our rehabilitation specialist, returns to Kyiv.

So we, without wasting time, on the same day we will start working together and wait for the whole team to meet. Ahead of important matches in the Champions League, you need to properly prepare for Rome. I follow the Romans, they include many high-level players. In the Champions League, they showed themselves well, they came out of a difficult group. But Shakhtar is able to beat this opponent.

Recall, the match of the 1/8 finals of the Champions League between Shakhtar and Roma will be held in Kharkov on February 21.