Ruben van Bommel praises teammate: “He knows exactly what’s being asked.”

It will not have escaped anyone that Ruben van Bommel made his appearance again last weekend in the PSV kit in the friendly match against Union Saint-Gilliose (7-3). Van Bommel came over from AZ last season and made an excellent impression at the start until disaster struck on 21 September 2025 in the home match against Ajax (2-2).

The winger suffered a severe cruciate ligament injury that kept him out for the rest of the season. In conversation with ESPN, Van Bommel also remains optimistic for the 2026/2027 season.

The left winger is still rehabilitating, as he himself says. ''The longer it takes, the better it gets. I’m not as far along as the other boys yet. I see myself as a player who is still in rehabilitation. In terms of training, I can’t yet do what the boys do on training camp. A training camp is more intense than usual; I’m not ready for that yet,'' Van Bommel tells ESPN.

PSV’s number 7 also has a lot of confidence in his body. ''Certainly the last week and a half or so he starts to feel (his knee) very strongly. I've already played one time for 30 minutes, but that's still not at the level of the Eredivisie and the Champions League. I think it won't be too much longer. Each time pushing the limit a little. I do feel when it’s been just a bit too much, or when it’s going in the right direction,'' the winger continues.

During his rehabilitation, Van Bommel received a lot of advice from his teammate Ivan Perisic, and he is very pleased with the Croatian's advice. ''I can learn a lot from him. If you can talk to him, it is even more educational. You notice that he knows exactly what is required at the top. Sometimes it is a slightly different mentality than what we are used to here in the Netherlands. A certain toughness'', Van Bommel says.

PSV still plays against Villarreal on Saturday 25 July and against FC Eindhoven on Tuesday 28 July for the match against AZ in the Johan Cruyff Shield on Sunday 2 August. The winger is hopeful about a possible return against AZ.

''That depends on the coming days. If I hopefully make minutes again on Saturday, I’ll be one step further. Otherwise during the week. Whether it’s 2 August or the third league match, what matters to me most is that it’s going well'', Van Bommel said.

In addition, the winger thinks he can talk about a successful season when he has made it to forty matches for PSV. ''That is definitely one of my goals, to play a whole season. I also think I need to,'' concludes PSV's number 7.