La Liga
Carlos Corberán Hails Umar Sadiq’s Personality and Influence at Valencia
Carlos Corberán has spoken warmly about Umar Sadiq, praising the striker’s personality and insisting he has no intention of changing the Nigerian forward’s sense of humour or character.
Sadiq returned to Valencia CF for a second spell during the January transfer window, sealing a permanent move after ending his stint with Real Sociedad.
The Super Eagles striker has been in excellent form in recent weeks, scoring three goals in his last four appearances in La Liga.
Beyond his goalscoring contributions, Sadiq has also grown in influence creatively, providing three assists in his last 11 league matches.
Speaking during Wednesday’s press conference, Corberán highlighted the importance of diversity within the dressing room and praised the positive qualities Sadiq brings to the squad.
“The thing is, no two footballers are ever the same in a locker room, no two people are ever the same,” Corberán said, according to Futbol Fantasy.
“We all come from different families, different cultures and different countries, and we have to enrich ourselves and bring out the best in each other.”
The Valencia coach added that every player has areas they can improve on, but stressed that his comments were not aimed specifically at Sadiq.
“But I’m not talking about Sadiq, I’m talking about all of us. Learn from the good things we all have, improve in the areas where we aren’t our greatest strengths, and that’s it.
“Sadiq is an exceptional guy, a player whose sense of humour is part of his personality. I don’t want to change him, I’m not going to change him, and I don’t intend to change him.”
During his first spell at Valencia in the second half of last season, Sadiq scored six goals in 19 appearances across all competitions and played a key role in helping the club avoid relegation.
Corberán admitted the club were eager to bring the striker back because of the qualities he offers the team.
“He’s here at the club because we really liked what he gave us last year. He offers the team very good options, so we’re happy with that.”
Sadiq will now hope his recent performances have impressed Eric Chelle ahead of Nigeria’s upcoming international friendlies against Poland and Portugal, with the Super Eagles squad expected to be announced in the coming days.
