Former Rangers striker Umar Sadiq has suffered cruciate ligament heartbreak just a few weeks after signing for La Liga outfit Real Sociedad.
The Nigerian striker, 24, flopped in Glasgow but his career has taken an unbelievable turn since, the forward impressing with Partizan Belgrade in Serbia and Almeria in Spain.
Such was the striker’s prowess on the continent, Umar Sadiq earned a summer move to Real Sociedad after Alexander Isak moved to Newcastle United.
The deal, said to be worth a reported £21.7m, was then followed by Sadiq netting on his debut as the forward’s meteoric post-Rangers rise continued in Spain.
But whilst Rangers fans have been routinely amazed to see the player’s progress given his underwhelming time in Glasgow, Umar Sadiq will now have to come back from a huge setback after a season-ending cruciate ligament injury.
Umar Sadiq suffers cruel injury fate
Football can be so cruel at times and Umar Sadiq was subbed off only 38 minutes into Real Sociedad’s eventual 2-1 La Liga defeat to Getafe with the injury.
Since then the club have confirmed that the player must have surgery on the issues after damaging his anterior cruciate ligament.
“After suffering a rupture of his anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee, Sadiq Umar will undergo surgery on 15th September in Vitoria, with Dr Mikel Sanchez taking control of the procedure,” tweeted Real Sociedad.
Umar Sadiq has previously opened up on his failed stint in Glasgow, which saw him join the club in the summer of 2018 after Steven Gerrard took charge.
And it was the legendary former Liverpool midfielder who was the subject of much of the lanky Nigerian’s ire as he bemoaned the often frosty relationship he had with the ex-Ibrox gaffer to the Sunday Post.
Meanwhile, a former Ibrox star could be set for a surprise ticket to the World Cup in Qatar.