Viktoria Schnaderbeck has been speaking about how special it is to wear the Arsenal shirt as she closes in on a return to action following her knee injury.

Viktoria Schnaderbeck was signed from Bayern Munich in the summer but a knee injury picked up in pre-season training has kept her on the sidelines all season. As she gets closer to a comeback, she spoke with ‘Kurier,’ a newspaper from Austria.

Kurier, 21 November 2018
Kurier, 21 November 2018

“It is something special to wear the jersey of Arsenal,” Schnaderbeck said before reiterating that point again. “I realise that wearing this jersey is something special.”

Speaking about her injury, Schnaderbeck revealed that the club have not been putting any pressure on her to return before she’s ready, even though the club are suffering something of an injury crisis. “The nice thing is that the club gives me plenty of time to come back and does not put a lot of pressure on me,” she said.

Viktoria Schnaderbeck
Viktoria Schnaderbeck

Arriving from Bayern Munich, Schnaderbeck was keen to point out the differences between how the German giants separate their men’s and women’s teams compared to Arsenal. “At Arsenal, the dimension is even bigger. You can feel that strong brand and the responsibility that comes with it,” she said.

Speaking to Arsena.coml when she signed, Schnaderbeck explained why she had left Bayern Munich for London.

For me, it was just the right moment,” Schnaderbeck told Arsenal.com. “I’m really happy to take this chance and have a new experience in my future. I’m really happy to start.

“I was there for 11 years, so it was a bit of a family for me and I’ve learnt a lot in women’s professional football. I had a good time and also a very successful one. Now I felt like I had to take the next step and I’m really happy to take the next step.

“Arsenal has a big history in women’s football and I’ve had a good feeling right from the first moment about it. They have really good players, a good team and the staff around. It’s just everything that’s convinced me to join Arsenal.

“I had a talk with Joe and I knew that he was a coach who could make a difference to the team. I think there will be big steps made in the future as well, and I just felt comfortable talking with him and also with his idea of football. I think that’s very important too.

“I’m a defensive player,” added Schnaderbeck. “I’ve already played in midfield, but in my last years with Bayern Munich I played in defence at centre back. I like playing football and I like playing with a team who like to play football. These are the things I can say about myself, and then the rest the fans will have to see for themselves.”