Valencia Identifies The Root Of His Poor Form

Antonio Valencia has blamed his poor form this season on  a lack of fitness, and has vowed to to use pre season to get himself in tip top shape ahead of Manchester United’s defence of their recently captured title.

Having been named the club’s player of the year and being awarded the #7 at the end of last season, Valencia’s performances this term have been hugely underwhelming.

The Ecuadorian winger’s productivity has decreased alarmingly leaving him feeling like he could have contributed more to United’s season.

Speaking to MUTV, Valencia said:

“If you make a comparison with the previous season it wasn’t quite what I was hoping for. I have maybe not been able to recreate the form of last year. But I have not been at the same fitness level.

“When you have suffered from a couple of injuries, sometimes it is hard to get back to those fitness levels where you can play full of confidence and show your ability in its best light.

“Sometimes it takes a while to get the rhythm of how you normally play if recovery from injury takes longer than you think.

“Looking back I am still reasonably happy with my contribution, I managed to feature in 28 Premier League games, but hopefully pre-season will be a chance to get fit.

“When things are not going particularly well and I am not on my best form I tend to be a little harder on myself. All the time, you want everything to turn our perfectly. At those times, you do think about your form.”

Valencia’s performances have largely left fans feeling frustrated but the fact he acknowledges that he has been sub par and plans on working to improve this is encouraging. When in form, Valencia is devastating so hopefully he can get back in his stride next season.