Medical tests conducted for Kauno Žalgiris football players

2026-01-07 18:49 © zalgiris.lt

Football players returning to Lithuania after the winter break will gather for their first official training session on January 8 and will start preparing for the 2026 season.

As usual, Lithuanian champions undergo medical check-ups prior to the start of their preparation, during which the players' physical condition is assessed.

"We check all incoming newcomers and former players. First and foremost, we assess the condition of the cardiovascular system, and physical tests are carried out for new players. We want to find out how rested our players are and how much and what types of loads they are ready to handle. We also conduct blood tests to check for any missing micronutrients or vitamins, based on which we select the loads and begin the preparation," said the club's kinesiotherapist Algirdas Narkevičius.

The day before the first training session, one of the players who underwent the tests was Damjan Pavlović.

"It's nice to be back, as two months is quite a long time. The first month after the season was dedicated to vacations and light maintenance of form, and then more intensive individual work began. We need to train a lot, get in shape, and stay healthy. I believe we all understand the goals we have this year – we want to have an even better season than last year," said the defender returning to Lithuania for his second season.

The check-ups are an annual routine for football players, but not all standard procedures are liked or pleasant for them.

"Personally, I really dislike blood tests; everything else is fine for me," joked D. Pavlović.

This year, the medical tests for Žalgiris players were conducted at the hospitals in Kaunas.

"We have ideal conditions for health checks. Everything is in one place, it happens quickly and systematically. In half a day, we can fully check 5-6 players, which is good not only for us but also for the players themselves.