Aberdeen new boy Jeppe Okkels has revealed how a freak injury has seen his career go balls up.
The Dane previously played under Jimmy Thelin at Elfsborg and from there he won a big-money move to Utrecht but his time in the Netherlands was scuppered by a twisted testicle that required surgery and left him sidelined for two months. The winger was then sold on to Preston and before he signed they changed their manager and he ended up playing just 119 minutes in the Championship.
Thelin helped launch his career at Elfsborg and then came calling again to bring Okkels to Aberdeen this month, to get his former player back on track. Okkels said: “My injury when I moved to Holland was a really weird one – I twisted my testicle. It’s not something you usually hear footballers getting but I needed an operation. After that I had to lie down for some weeks and then build myself back up again because you’re not allowed to do any physical load bearing.
“It was really frustrating because it wasn’t anything I could have done something about, it just happens to men sometimes. I was on the bike and suddenly started to feel pain, I lifted up off the bike and it was still very painful.
“I had a look and it didn’t look like it should have! It was so painful I had to call the emergency number, went to hospital and had to have an operation. It was painful and scary at the time.”
The 25-year-old can joke about it now but back then it was no laughing matter and neither were the months after it! Okkels admitted: “Looking back I can talk about it and joke about it, but at the time it was really painful.
“I was out for about two months with it and wasn’t allowed to do anything at all for a part of that. I had only played a few games when it happened but I can’t use it as an excuse because maybe when I came back if I’d scored a hat-trick things might have been different.
“I signed for Preston, Ryan Lowe was the manager and then he left the following day. So I didn’t have a single session with them, Paul Heckingbottom came in.
“At the moment Preston are doing well with a five back line and no wingers. So it has been a difficult time.”
Aberdeen haven’t won in 13 games in the Premiership. Okkels has only come in recently but admitted the manager and the squad are very much together, with Thelin taking them all for lunch this week. Okkels confirmed: “We went for lunch together this week, which was good because it’s nice to see your team-mates away from football.
“It’s good for everyone to get along with each other away from here at the training ground. When we come in here it is all about winning but outside we can let our shoulders down and be more relaxed around each other.
“We have some new players who have joined this month so it was a chance to get everyone together and knowing each other better. We have a lot of different nationalities but the good thing about playing here is everyone speaks English so it is easy to communicate.
“Everyone can be different because of where you come from, but when it comes to football you can always talk about that. We are all on the same page, we are desperate to win games.
“I think going for lunch was a good thing, it was worthwhile. How good of a thing it was? We will find out on Saturday.
“The only way you can change things is by staying positive and staying together. That’s all we can do and it is what we are doing. I think this is a good dressing-room, people are together and we’re on the right track.”
Aberdeen travel south with the injured Dimitar Mitov and Dante Polvara, while defender Angus MacDonald has been left out of the squad.