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Brighton & Hove Albion: Florin Andone posts emotional message on Instagram after latest injury setback

By Liam Togher

Posted on 17 June 2020, 19:10

Florin Andone is due to return to Brighton after injuries forced the curtailment of his loan spell at Galatasaray.

The Romanian confirmed on Instagram (via @florinandone11) that his season in Turkey is over after he suffered a knee injury in the team’s defeat at Caykur Rizespor at the weekend, the second such setback he has encountered in the last seven months, as per The Argus.

The 27-year-old took to Instagram to share his regret over his injury-ravaged spell in Istanbul, feeling that he “let down a lot of people” by not being able to play more regularly.

As translated by The Argus, Andone wrote: “I don’t know how or where to start but I want to share what I am feeling with all of you.

“All those many people who have been worried about me and have sent me messages of support and encouragement, I want to thank you from my heart. The season has ended for me. A very difficult one due to the two injuries I have suffered.

“I feel frustrated at not reaching the targets I had in mind when I came to this great club. I feel that I have let down a lot of people and the injuries have not allowed me to show all I can do.”

View this post on Instagram

No sé ni cómo empezar, o por dónde empezar pero si quiero expresar lo que siento y compartirlo con todos ustedes. Toda esta gente que se ha preocupado por mi y me han mandado mensajes de apoyo y de ánimo, sois muchísimos y por eso quiero daros las gracias de corazón. Se acabó la temporada para mi, una muy difícil debido a las dos lesiones que he sufrido. Me siento frustrado por no cumplir los objetivos que tenía en mi mente al venir a este gran club, siento que he defraudado a muchísima gente y que realmente las lesiones no me han dejado mostrar todo el fútbol que llevo dentro. Lo siento por cómo ha ido todo y aunque mi paso por el @galatasaray no haya aportado muchas cosas positivas, me he sentido un privilegiado por haber vestido esta gran camiseta y representar a este gran club. Gracias de nuevo por vuestras infinitas muestras de cariño, sobretodo a los aficionados de @galatasaray que una vez más han mostrado que son sin duda uno de los mejores del mundo. Gracias 🙏

A post shared by Florin Andone (@florinandone11) on Jun 16, 2020 at 8:22am PDT

Andone only managed 12 appearances for Galatasaray since going out on loan at the end of August, scoring twice in that time, and his return from the first injury setback unfortunately coincided with the shutdown of football across Europe amid the coronavirus pandemic. [via TransferMarkt]

The 2019/20 season has been a nightmarish one for him and now he must try to resuscitate his career at Brighton, where he has managed six goals in 30 appearances but never managed to establish himself as a regular starter under either Chris Hughton or Graham Potter.

Record signing Neal Maupay has thrived in Andone’s absence at the Amex Stadium this term, scoring eight goals for the Seagulls, while Potter also has Glenn Murray and Aaron Connolly to call upon in attack. Furthermore, Albion have been linked with a summer move for Reims striker Boulaye Dia, as per Le10 Sport via HITC.

Right now it seems like a long road back to his best for Andone, who has been ravaged by bad luck over the last few months while others have taken advantage of him not being at Brighton.

Brighton fans, do you hope to see Andone getting back to his best next season or will he struggle to recapture the form that prompted the club to sign him? Join in the discussion by commenting below!