Nemanja Bjelica might make his debut on Friday against Virtus / News - Basketnews.com

Nemanja Bjelica has been practicing with the team for two weeks and will be available for head coach Dimitris Itoudis to use against Virtus Bologna on Friday, the club's general manager Derya Yannier revealed.

Credit: FIBA Credit FIBA

Nemanja Bjelica hasn't played a single minute of EuroLeague basketball this season. However, his debut might be just around the corner.

Nemanja Bjelica

Team:Fenerbahce Beko IstanbulPosition:PFAge:34Height:209 cmWeight:106 kgBirth place:Belgrade, SerbiaProfileNewsStatistics

Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul's general manager Derya Yannier appeared on EuroLeague TV show on S Sport channel where he talked about the Serbian forward's situation.

"Recurrence of the same injury twice can cause very risky situations in an older athlete. For this reason, we acted very cautiously in the process of his return to court. Our doctors, physiotherapists, and masseurs worked very meticulously during this process," the operative explained.

"We are in constant contact with FIBA ​​during this process as he has been injured while playing for the national team," he said. "We have sent the necessary documents and files to FIBA, and FIBA ​​is now at the decision stage. I hope that we can cover the money Bjelica should have received from the insurance so far."

Later on in his answer, Yannier commented about the current player's condition and the chances when basketball fans could be able to finally see Bjelica on the court.

"The player has been practicing with the team for about 2 weeks. Of course, it is not easy for a 34-year-old athlete to both go out on the field and be in a match-ready condition after such a long break. The team has made a lot of progress since the beginning of the season, and it is not easy to adapt to the team all of a sudden," he explained.

"I think he's slowly starting to get ready. After that, it will be at the initiative of our coach Dimitris Itoudis. Our coach will use Bjelica when he thinks he can benefit the team. I think he may be in the squad for the Virtus Bologna match on Friday," Yannier revealed. "We have a large and high-quality squad right now. As I said, whether Bjelica will be in the squad is at the discretion of our coach."

With 15 wins and 9 losses, Fenerbahce are currently 4th in the EuroLeague standings. They play against Virtus Segafredo Bologna at home on Friday.

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