Atletico de Kolkata’s marquee signing Helder Postiga has guaranteed the football fans in Kolkata that we will be able to see the Portuguese in an ATK shirt this season’s Indian Super League.
Speaking to the press ahead of their crucial home encounter against the Delhi Dynamos, the forward looked in a jovial mood as he recovers from a rib injury that has kept him out of Kolkata’s last two games.
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The former Porto and Spurs man, who had to be withdrawn after playing only 72 minutes last season, was again hauled off in the second game this season against the Kerala Blasters.
I am a lot better, says Postiga
“I am feeling a lot better. I am back in training and looking to play as soon as possible,” quipped the forward. “It’s now up to coach (Jose Molina) whether he feels that I am up for it. If I am good enough to play. If it was up to me, I would have loved to play the next game. However, it’s now for the coach to decide whether I play the next game and or the one against Mumbai on the 25th.”
“However, I can guarantee you that you will see me in an ATK shirt by the end of the season. This is not as serious an injury as I had last season. This is a lot less severe.”
The 32-year-old had to be substituted only 18 minutes into the second game of the season after sustaining a hit to his ribs. While he still “feels a bit of the pain” in his ribcage, he seems to be now concentrating on the way forward.
Thus, the forward, who has had a bad time with injuries this season, urged to be on the cautious side and opined that he will rather give more time to recover from the injury than just simply rush in.
Personally, he felt that he was still "one and a half week" away from coming back into action.
Bengaluru FC going through is good news for Indian football: Postiga
Bengaluru FC carved a niche in the annals of Indian Football history when they made it to the final of the AFC Cup yesterday. And the Portuguese seemed to be thrilled at the Steelmen’s success.
“This is great news for Indian football. They have shown the way. The ISL was created to improve Indian football and I will hope to think that this tournament and to see that happening is thrilling indeed.”
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Atletico are still unbeaten in the Indian Super League after four games. However, they have found winning games hard, as three of their clashes have ended in draws, which has left them with 6 points from their opening 4 games.
This means that their next two encounters against the Delhi Dynamos and Mumbai City FC; both of whom are in the top four, might prove crucial to Kolkata's fortunes.
And having Postiga back in action will undoubtedly help them get the best results from them although it might just be a foolhardy decision to rush him back. Thus Jose Molina has quite a task on his hands in the coming weeks.
