Valencia on the injury, settling in at United, Chicharito and Giggs
Competing on three fronts, it appears our players have clicked at the right time. Park has been performing, Rio has returned, Hernandez remains a threat and Rooney has gotten over his poor early season form but arguably one of the biggest factors in our recent form is the return of Antonio Valencia.
Having been out since September after horrifically injuring his ankle against Rangers in the Champions League at Old Trafford, Valencia’s return has been a breath of fresh air for the team and whilst it may be a tad presumptuous his return partly coincides with the change in Rooney’s form.
Speaking to FIFA.Com the Ecuadorian winger spoke about joining United, getting over the injury and United in general:
“I feel really good, I’ve been getting in the team for the last few games and I’m pleased about that. I can now say I’m back to 100 per cent. The six months I spent on the sidelines were quite tough, especially to start with. When you start to see progress it encourages you and all you think about is getting back playing again.”
Joining United from Wigan was a massive step up for the winger, the shadow of Ronaldo loomed large but Valencia quickly established himself as his own player and although it wasn’t easy he puts his assimilation into the team down to the support he received:
“It was hard to adapt during my first year here, but I got through it thanks to my team-mates and the manager.”
Whilst he may feel it was hard to adapt, he praised a player that has taken to being a United player like a duck to water, Javier Hernandez:
“He’s doing really well and it’s taken him no time at all to settle in. It’s made a big difference to United that he feels so at home and is scoring so many goals.”
And of course he had something o say about the man of the moment Ryan Giggs,
“I work hard every day to grow and improve as a player.
“I really like the way Giggs goes about his business, I’ve got a lot of admiration for him. He’s a great pro, a great team-mate, and in my view he’ll be able to carry on playing for a long time yet.”