Ange has apparently set the record straight about Mickey.
That's very interesting.
Besides his body adjusting, he may need to "re-learn" how to run.
In my younger playing days, I always wanted to be the fittest player because I knew I wouldn't be the most talented. Always someone more skilled. So I trained hard. But I continually got hamstring & calf tears/strains.
The top sports physios & medical doctors that I saw simply tried to deal with the symptoms rather than the source. They kept hooking me up to machines to heal the damaged muscle.
After more than a decade of frustration, I found someone who was able to find the source of the problem which wasn't in my legs but rooted in my body's alignment. My right hip was ever so slightly higher & tilted forward than my left causing a misalignment of my leg muscles (some stretched more than others). However slight, it didn't take much for it to be physically disruptive. Specific exercises & yoga resolved the issues & haven't had a problem since (doesn't hurt that my daughter's a progressive kinesiologist).
At the highest of levels that VDV is at, these minor differences in degrees of misalignment must be even more pronounced with the demands involved, especially with Ange's style of play which demands more running & sprinting.
FWIW, when I was dealing with my muscle issues, I remember reading about AC Milan's player purchase / transfer policy. Before any player was brought in, he was put through an exhaustive physical which was so detailed that it included a test to see if their teeth were properly aligned. Because if they weren't, it would misalign their jaw, neck, shoulders, etc & all the way down to their feet which could cause future problems. That's when AC was on top of the footballing world.
