Super Eagles and Valencia striker Umar Sadiq has revealed the reason why he struggled to settle into life at Real Sociedad, Footynaija.com reports.
Sadiq moved to Sociedad from Almeria in the summer of 2022 after playing a crucial role in Almeria’s promotion to La Liga, netting 43 goals in 84 appearances for the club.
He had a dream start to life at Sociedad, scoring on his debut against Atletico Madrid. But that early promise quickly faded as he suffered a devastating anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury just two games later, ruling him out for the rest of the season.
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Following his return to action the next season, the lanky striker found it difficult to break back into the starting XI. The rhythm and sharpness that once defined his game were hard to rediscover. After his return, he managed just three goals in 47 games, an underwhelming tally compared to his Almeria days.
This led to Sadiq’s winter window loan switch to Valencia where he appears to be finding his feet again after notching five goals in 14 outings. In a chat with Nigerian TV broadcasting network TVC, revealed that the scarce playing opportunities at Sociedad played a huge part in his struggles.
What he said
“Every footballer needs continuity which I did not have when I came back from my injury at Real Sociedad,” he said.
“And you can see that as I came here, week in, week out I’m playing. I’m gaining my confidence and that’s all what I needed. As a football player, continuity (is key). You have more calm and you have more time to show what you have.
“From the first day I went to Real Sociedad, I went there with a lot of expectations. Unluckily, I went there and after five days I tore my ACL and things changed.
“I was out for one season and I came back and I could not get that continuity that I need because I was left behind. Also it was the coach’s decision which I respected.
“Sometimes, you find yourself in situations where you cannot change anything. And my situation at Real Sociedad was that: I could not change anything. Because of lack of playing time after coming back from injury. I had to face the reality.”
