Parker: "Pay back the club’s trust in me"

The wait finally came to an end on Monday against Borussia Dortmund (1-1) – when FCA head coach Manuel Baum sent Shawn Parker onto the pitch in the closing stages of the match, the forward made his first appearance in almost three years. Parker learnt one thing above all else in this time – patience. Shawn Parker last made a Bundesliga appearance in May 2015 in a 3-1 win over Borussia Mönchengladbach. The forward was brought on to replace Jan Morávek for the final quarter of an hour against BVB and celebrated his return to the German top flight. Parker had been out for a long period with a number of injuries (including a cruciate ligament rupture) which repeatedly set back the FCA player. “I was of course happy and thankful that I was able to make the appearance,” said Parker about his comeback. "It’s been a long while since I last played in the Bundesliga." The 24-year-old helped the team to see out the match with the scoreboard at 1-1. "We made more of the game in the second half and we thoroughly deserved the point in the end," explained the forward.

Parker: "You get the time you need here when you run into trouble"

Above all during his injury lay-off, Parker learnt what it meant to have patience. "I tried to remain calm during the time out and also steadily continue to improve," the forward looks back. He felt support from the club during the difficult time. "You get the time you need here when you run into trouble," says the number nine. "I’m now going to try to pay back the club’s trust in me." TSG Hoffenheim will visit the WWK Arena on Saturday 3rd March (KO 15:30 CET). After his comeback, Shawn Parker now wants to up the ante: "I’ve made a small step, but I know I have to stay on the ball every day." Parker is, however, making no demands: "The coach knows what’s best for the team and will make his choices accordingly."