Niclas Füllkrug celebrates his comeback for West Ham after almost three months. A season, which is also screwed up for the international, is now about damage limitation.
There wasn’t much missing for the perfect comeback by Niclas Füllkrug. In its first use for West Ham United, the latte prevented the crowning glory in the form of a hit after almost three months of injury, his header arch lamp lowered on the crossbar.
Despite the pech, the 32-year-old prevailed the joy of returning. “A good feeling of finally being back in action, but definitely not the result that we imagined,” Füllkrug wrote on Instagram.
With 0: 1, the hammers had to give up on Tuesday. The season travels for the East Londoners launched with European ambitions in the lowlands of the Premier League. It’s all about damage limitation – also for filling jugs.
“Mega-difficult year” for filling jugs
Because the national player’s England adventure has so far been unsatisfactory. Shortly after his farewell from Dortmund, Füllkrug was long with an Achilla tendon irritation.
He crowned his comeback at the beginning of December with his first goal for his new club, but the next setback followed in early January: a thigh injury caused a renewed break.
“It is a mega-difficult year,” said Füllkrug most recently on the sidelines of Diego’s farewell game in Bremen. He didn’t have a real preparation at all, injured himself early and “when I was a bit going and played my first two or three really good games against Manchester City and Brighton, I was very much injured again.”
Unrest at West Ham
At his club it also went under all over again: In early January, coach Julen Lopetegui had to go, Graham Potter replaced him.
In February, Tim Steidt was a technical director. The former sports director of Bayer Leverkusen and Werder Bremen had a decisive part of filling jugs last summer.
“I knew that Niclas would fit into the league and our team. In addition, we were looking for someone who can also lead in the cabin,” Steidt Steidten recently defended the deal in the podcast click & rush : “I have known it since I was at Werder Bremen again. I would simply make this transfer because I am simply convinced of its quality.”
However, Füllkrug rarely showed his strengths due to his injuries. Also in the national team, he was recently only a fenceast during training. In his absence, players like Tim Kleindienst or Jonathan Burkardt ranked a little.
With a view to the Final Four in the Nations League in early June, the season is still of great importance for Füllkrug to recommend itself again for national coach Julian Nagelsmann.
Special praise for filling jugs
With his 45-minute joker insert on Tuesday, Füllkrug collected plus points with his team. Hammers coach Potter attested his protégé a “really good” performance.
“You can see what he can give the team. We can play it with long balls, he fetches the second balls and is a danger in the penalty area,” said Potter at Sky : “For the first time in a long time he played 45 minutes for us. That is gratifying.”
Not only with his slatted ball (72nd) mentioned at the beginning set Füllkrug an exclamation mark. He was also unlucky when he was denied a possible penalty (72nd). Tomas Soucek (89th) also awarded the great balance of compensation according to Füllkrug’s Hacken template.
“It was really good,” said Captain Jarrod Bowen and praised the Germans as a prime example of will and commitment: “It is incredibly important to have him back.”
His coach was also pleased with a view of the end of the season. “The defenders have to worry more,” said Potter: “The more playing time he will get.”
The filling jug in the Premier League on Saturday (4 p.m. in the live ticker) against the AFC Bournemouth.