Valentino Müller: Finally back to routine

The Vorarlberg native's summer break lasted four months. Why that was the case and how his debut at Austria leaves him wanting more.

Source text: © LAOLA1

from Harald Prantl

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"I missed being on the pitch," says Valentino Müller.

The Vorarlberg native's summer break was long. Much longer than originally planned. Almost exactly four months passed between his last match for WSG Tirol and his first for Wiener Austria.

Exotic, but not appealing

It took a while for the 27-year-old to find the right club. "The top priority was that the new challenge should be appealing from a sporting perspective. There were several offers, some exotic, but I often lacked the sporting appeal," he recounts.

That changed a few days ago. "When Austria called, it wasn't just the name that appealed to me, but also the task at hand. It quickly became clear that I wanted to do it."

The Starting XI Surprise

At the beginning of the week, he signed until the end of the season. By the end of the week, he was already in the starting eleven for the Violets' 2-1 victory against Austria Lustenau.

"I was a bit surprised," he admits. Müller certainly found his way into the game well, played in the defensive midfield position alongside youngster Philipp Maybach, dropped back to the right defensive side during build-up play, and thus had many ball contacts.

Ran out of steam at the end

Coach Stephan Helm praises: "I saw him very positively. He's secure on the ball, has a good feel for when to drop back, and coaches well. He was able to show what he can bring to the team."

"Das war schon ein richtig cooler Einstand, der Lust auf mehr macht."

In the 78th minute, the newcomer's game was over. "Physically, I still have room for improvement, but I can build on this game. From the 70th minute onwards, I noticed that I had been missing games recently. But that's normal," he says.

And generally, "the last few days have been intense." New city, new teammates. "But the team made it really easy for me," Müller says.