It was in a match in the Swedish Cup against Örebro in March 2018 that the then AIK: aren Nyholm's leg went right off after a duel and he had to spend a month in hospital, perform a dozen operations and lost ten kilos.
- They said I risked getting a drip foot (hanging foot) and couldn't run anymore. There was also something that went wrong and it could have ended in disaster, says Nyholm, who was put in a wheelchair and then had to get up stumbling on crutches.
He drew on blood poisoning and it was talk of amputation.
With a rarely seen iron will, Nyholm has managed to get order on the body after at least 200 rehab sessions. With the help of AIK's organization, Nyholm has come back - to sign for the biggest rival twin club Djurgården, a transition that some fans reacted negatively to.
About the transition: "There are many emotions"- I understand that because there are a lot of emotions. But I needed an income and got no contract with AIK. Then Bosse (Andersson, Djurgården's sports manager) heard from me and I got this chance, says Nyholm.
According to people who have seen the center back Nyholm on training, he seems to have a good pace in the body and a good timing with the ball.
- It's probably not very far away to a bench, Nyholm thinks, who defied the medical diagnoses. The 26-year-old smiles and says:
- I want to do this to see if it works, says Nyholm and sweeps a glass of cool drink in the 30-degree heat.