- Nigerian striker Sadiq Umar returns to La Liga action after 11-month injury break, coming on as substitute for Real Sociedad.
- Umar’s recovery follows cruciate ligament injury, missed season, and promising preseason, with his coach eager for his performance.
Sadiq Umar, a Nigerian striker, returned to action on Saturday in a La Liga match between Real Sociedad and Girona after an 11-month injury layoff.
The striker came on as a second-half substitute in the White and Blues’ first game of the 2023/24 season, a 1-1 draw against the Catalans.
In September 2022, Umar suffered a cruciate ligament injury and was taken off the pitch during a La Liga match against Getafe.
After undergoing surgery, the 26-year-old was forced to miss the rest of the season.
Before suffering the injury, the Super Eagles forward had started the season in fine form, scoring three goals in five games, including a debut goal for the Txuri-Urdinak against Atletico Madrid.
After an eight-month absence, the former Almeria striker returned to training in May but could not play the rest of the season due to his team’s tour to the United States.
In a press conference ahead of the Girona game, Sociedad coach Imanol Alguacil promised that Umar would get some playing time because he expected to see the best of the striker.
I expect to see the best version of Sadiq. It’s a shame he could not go on the USA tour because I would have liked him to have had more minutes as he was having a very good preseason,” Alguacil said per Mundo Deportivo.
He’s going to get more playing time for sure. Just because he didn’t go on tour doesn’t mean that I’m not going to start playing him.
In the 74th minute, the manager kept his word and substituted the Nigerian for Mikel Oyarzabal.
Sadiq joined Reale Arena last summer in a deal worth €26 million plus add-ons and a 15% sell-on clause until the 2027/28 season, after helping Almeria secure promotion to the Spanish top flight, where he scored 18 goals and assisted nine times in 38 appearances.
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