Striker appeals for deal ahead of big summer
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ANDREA Mbuyi-Mutombo needs to get a pre-season under his belt if he is to show Caley Thistle fans what he is capable of.
That’s the view of the man himself as he lamented a stop-start debut season in the Highlands, believing that he has never been 100 per cent fit.
A suspension earlier in the season, followed by a series of niggling injuries, have left the Congolese playmaker playing catch-up with his fitness for the majority of the campaign.
He plans on being with the Caley Jags next season and wants a solid pre-season under his belt before the start of the 2016-17 fixtures.
Mbuyi-Mutombo told the HN: "It’s been in case of injury, come back, injury come back. I think I’ve shown the qualities I have but the fans have not seen me 100 per cent, because I have not been 100 per cent fit.
"It’s been a hard season for me. I signed on a Tuesday with no pre-season and on the Saturday, I started. I came from holiday to playing four games in a row. "I get a red card and lose three games, then an injury and lose five weeks. You’re always chasing your fitness. Pre-season is the most important thing in football; you don’t get your injuries if you do it right."
He added that if he were to move on from Inverness, it would be on the back of showing he can do well in the Premiership which he doesn’t feel he has done yet.
The 25-year-old signed on a free transfer after featuring in a pre-season contest at Nairn County and played an hour in the opening-day clash with Motherwell. Five consecutive starts followed but a red card against Dundee, given for a rash challenge on ex-Caley Jag Nick Ross, set him back.
Mbuyi-Mutombo then picked up an Achilles injury which he returned to Belgium for treatment on, with manager John Hughes at one stage admitting he didn’t know when the midfielder would return.
He managed a brace in the Scottish Cup against Stirling Albion but was then laid low by a calf strain. His welcome return came against Hibs, netting the equaliser at Easter Road to keep the holders in the cup.
