FC St. Pauli

"Not being a part of things was tough for me, as you could tell just by looking at me," the right-back told journalists after training on Wednesday. The Boys in Brown began their pre-season preparations in early July, but Saliakas was sidelined by a calf injury for several weeks and could only look on as his teammates trained. "Another reason it was so hard for me was because I could see how enthusiastic the boys were when they got started," he explained.

Saliakas went flat out in rehab to return to action as soon as possible and finally resumed full training in early September. His return to action, and with that his Bundesliga debut, came as a second-half substitute at Augsburg. And against Leipzig and Freiburg, he was back in the starting lineup. "I'm happy to have played a part in our recent results," the right-back said.

His personal performances have been no less impressive than the overall team performances, which yielded the first point against Leipzig and then the opening win at Freiburg. "That win was so important for our confidence and we want to build on that now," said Saliakas, who was half-jokingly asked if the recent results were a result of his return to the side. "It's not down to me," he replied. "Every player has his own value and uniqueness. The key thing is the finding the right formation that brings success." That applies equally to Saliakas, who has performed in his own inimitable style since returning to the team: "I always give 100 per cent with unremitting passion."

Manolis Saliakas has had lots of reasons to be cheerful recently, from his return to action and the opening point to the first win.

That commitment will be on show again at home to FSV Mainz 05 this Saturday. The visitors sit in the bottom half of the table but that doesn't change the way the team are preparing for the game. "We always prepare with the same determination no matter where our opponents are in the table," said Saliakas before adding: "Mainz are a strong team so it'll be important for us to maintain our level both in defence and in attack."

The right-back aims to deliver another good performance in what will hopefully be another successful outcome and at the same time put himself back in the frame for an international call-up after not being named in the Greece squad for the forthcoming Nations League games against England and Ireland by new coach Ivan Jovanović. "I always support the team whether I'm involved or not", said the four-times-capped defender, who hopes to add to his international tally. "I'll continue to do my best to get a call-up in future."

Photos: Witters