Real Sociedad fans have been eagerly awaiting the return of their Nigerian striker, Sadiq Umar, who has been out of action since September due to an anterior cruciate ligament injury. However, it seems that they will have to wait a little longer as coach Imanol Alguacil has revealed that Umar will not be playing for the club this season.
Umar, who joined Real Sociedad from Almeria last summer, had a great start to his career in the Basque Country, scoring a vital goal against Atletico Madrid on his debut. Unfortunately, his third appearance was cut short by a serious injury that has kept him out of action for months.
While Umar returned to training last week, coach Alguacil has decided to err on the side of caution and give him more time to fully recover. Alguacil wants Umar to hit his stride before he plays competitive football again.
“Sadiq is very far away. We are putting him in, but he is very far away,” Alguacil told Mundo Deportivo. “Hopefully everything goes well and he does a good job during the off season because, unfortunately, he won’t be able to stop much. He has to get his acts together to have a very good pre-season. We want him to evolve well so that he can be available for the start of next season.”
Umar is a key player for Real Sociedad, and his absence has been keenly felt. However, the club is doing everything it can to ensure that he returns to action at full strength. The Nigerian striker will need to be at his best next season as Real Sociedad will likely qualify for the Champions League. Coach Alguacil would need his players to be firing on all cylinders.
