‘The comeback will be stronger’ – Salzburg’s Daka positive despite injury setback

Red Bull Salzburg’s Patson Daka has offered a morale-boosting update on his fitness after sustaining a thigh injury in Tuesday’s Champions League fixture against Atletico Madrid.

With just 27 minutes of action at Madrid’s Metropolitano Stadium, the 22-year-old went down on the pitch after winning a corner kick for his team.

He was subsequently replaced by Malian forward Sekou Koita when it was obvious he would be unable to continue in the five-goal thriller against Diego Simeone’s men.

Although his Austrian Bundesliga side is yet to give an update about his knock and the duration he would stay on the sidelines, Daka took to social media to play down the severity of the knock.

“The comeback will be stronger than the setback, in every disappointment, there’s an appointment. Thanks for all the messages!” the Zambia international tweeted.

Despite conceding first through Marcos Llorente’s 29th-minute effort, the Austrian top-flight side went into the half-time break leading 2-1 thanks to Dominik Szoboszlai’s strike and Felipe’s own goal.

However, Jesse Marsch’s men ended up losing 3-2 after 90 minutes with Joao Felix’s brace completing the comeback win for the Spanish top-flight giants.

Following their latest defeat in Spain, they sit in the third position of Group A after accruing just one point in two games alongside Russia's Lokomotiv Moscow.

The 2017 Caf Youth Player of the Year is expected to be out of action when the reigning Austrian kings welcome seventh-placed Swarovski Tirol to the Red Bull Arena in Sunday’s league fixture as well as Tuesday’s Champions League cracker against Bayern Munich.

It is unverified if Daka who has scored 12 goals across all competitions this season would be available for Chipolopolo when they take on Botswana in a double-header of Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers in Zambia.

Thanks to his goalscoring return, the striker was reportedly a transfer target for Tottenham Hotspur with Jose Mourinho aiming to strengthen his frontline before the close of the transfer window.

Last season, he scored 24 goals in 31 league games as Salzburg clinched the top-flight title for the fourth time in a row.