Newcastle United midfielder Christian Atsu has admitted his difficulties to the start of the 2018-19 Premier League season which he attributes to a knee surgery that occured in June.
The 26-year-old has made only seven appearances this term, including one start and lasted 196 minutes on the field after falling down the pecking order behind Matt Ritchie and Kenedy.
However, the former Chelsea player believes better days are ahead of him in the current compaign.
“I need to give everything and work harder because, at the start of the season, I was not in good shape,” said Atsu, as quoted by The Northern Echo.
“I am still getting my fitness back to where I want it to be. I am really working hard, and I am confident this is going to be a good season. I know I can get back to my best form.
“It has been more difficult to recover than I thought it would be. To be fair, it has been very difficult to come back from the injury.
"That is normal though. It was a knee injury, and they are always difficult to recover from. With time, I am going to be back to my very best football,” he added.
Atsu is currently on international duty with Ghana who will lock horns with Ethiopia in 2019 Africa Cup of Nations Group F qualifier on Sunday.
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