Season to forget at Sporting, Ioannidis told to work twice as hard | OneFootball

Marius Niculae left a message of support for Fotis Ioannidis, the Sporting striker who has faced several physical problems since arriving at Alvalade. The former Lions goalscorer knows well what it means to spend long periods away from the pitch and recalled one of the most significant injuries of his career to advise the Greek international.

On December 22, 2001, in a match against Vitória de Setúbal, Niculae suffered a tear of the medial cruciate ligament in his left knee. The serious injury forced him to miss the rest of the season and marked a difficult period in his career, with successive physical setbacks in the following years.

That is why, when assessing Ioannidis’s situation, the former Romanian striker spoke from experience. "I know very well what that is like. Being injured so often, it was very hard to cope with. He has to work twice as hard, keep a clear head, and it depends on him adapting to the group again," he said.

Niculae, who also spoke about Luis Suárez, believes that mental recovery is just as important as physical recovery and feels that the Lions forward has what it takes to return to his best level. "He has to be at 100% and work to show that he is a quality player and that he can help Sporting," he added.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.