Tendonitis recovery proving difficult for Juan Ayuso "but he will return at the top level"

From the highs of a podium finish at the Vuelta a Espana last year, UAE Team Emirates's Juan Ayuso is now having to deal with the low of being out injured but he will be back.

"It's easy to be with him when things are going well, but in these moments you really have to be there," says UAE Emirates team manager Joxean Matxin tells AS. “We are talking about a mentally mature rider, so we don't need to calm him down. He knows this is for his own good."

The return date for the 20-year-old Spaniard is not yet clear though as his comeback from tendonitis is proving more difficult than was first expected. “We have to do this step by step, with patience,” says Matxin. “It is difficult to say anything about his return, but it could be as early as the end of April. Only we don't put any pressure on him, because then he has to force things. That is not our intention.”

“He can see that the team is winning and that he has the level to win as well. That may be the hardest part, but he will return at the top level," he continues. “His big season goal is still the Vuelta a España. The fact that that is a long-term goal also ensures that he remains calm.”