Viviano upbeat on recovery

Italy goalkeeper Emiliano Viviano is on the road to recovery for club Inter Milan after knee surgery.

The 25-year-old suffered a blow to his promising career when he tore his anterior cruciate ligament in July, having returned to Inter after a two-year spell with Bologna.

And despite the initial diagnosis ruling him out for the majority of the Serie A season, Viviano is confident he will make a quick recovery and perhaps even make a shock return to action.

“Well, I’ve been better, but now I’m feeling good. The rehabilitation is getting better, we’re happy and we’re working. The injury now belongs to the past and we’re focusing on the future,” Viviano said.

“It depends on how it evolves and on how my knee reacts. Up to now everything has gone well and we’re optimistic.”

Italy international Viviano returned to the Italian giants after an impressive stint at Bologna, with Inter pouncing on an administrative error to land the goalkeeper in a cut-price deal in co-ownership negotiations.

But just a month after his return, his knee injury banished him to the sidelines. At the age of 25, Viviano is aware of the importance of the next few years to his career development.

“Well, maybe I’ve managed to make the most of myself so far and I’ve had the chance to play many matches: at the age of 25 I’ve played more than 200 matches as a professional player,” he said.

“I’ve been lucky from this point of view. I feel like an all-around player, even if a player should always improve in football. In any case, many things have changed.”

Genoa purchased half of his contract in August, having identified him as a potential replacement for departing goalkeeper Eduardo.

But injury scuppered the opportunity and paved the way for French goalkeeper Sebastian Frey’s transfer from Fiorentina.

“Well, the dealings with Genoa have been in progress for (a long time). Then there has been my injury and they had to find another solution, therefore they have acquired a great goalkeeper. Now we’ll see,” Viviano said.

With interest from some of the biggest club teams in Europe, Viviano is not ruling out a potential move to the English Premier League in the near future.

“Well, many people say it. I love the English way of living sports, therefore it would be a real pleasure for me to join a team,” he said.

Having made six appearances for Italy since his debut in September 2010, Viviano must now turn his attention to recovery if he is any chance of making a return in time for the 2012 European Championships.