Nigerian superstar Finidi George has opened up about his underwhelming spell at Ipswich Town, describing it as ‘very unfortunate.’

East Anglian Daily Times: Finidi George in action for Town. Picture: ARCHANTFinidi George in action for Town. Picture: ARCHANT (Image: Archant)

George, a star of the popular Super Eagles World Cup teams of 1994 and 1998, signed for Town from Mallorca for £3m back in August 2001, the season after the Blues had wowed the Premier League with a fifth-placed finish after their promotion to the top tier.

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He was supposed to help take Town to the next level, but was ultimately unable to have the impact at Portman Road that everyone expected, leaving in June 2003 with the the Blues back in the Championship.

In total, he played just 46 times for Ipswich, scoring eight goals.

Reflecting in his time at Portman Road in an interview reported by both The Nation and The New Telegraph, George said: “What happened at Ipswich Town was very unfortunate. I went there with high hopes, high spirits and I started on a high note, but I think after the third or fourth game, I broke my chinbone against Fulham, somebody elbowed me and I did an operation on my cheekbone which kept me out for like four weeks.

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“When I returned, I started trying to get match fitness, once I was almost there and getting back to where I left it before the injury, I had to go for AFCON, by the time I returned, the team was already struggling and there was nothing I could do.

“That was a very sad story because I didn’t expect to end things like that. We tried our best but it was hard and the team went on relegation and later administration. We all had to leave the club, it was a short spell but very unfortunate.”