Sam Cosgrove sees no reason why he cannot replicate the form that saw him attract the interest of French side Guingamp.
Aberdeen striker Cosgrove scored his first Pittodrie goal of 2020 against Hibernian on Friday night, marking a long wait after injury had scuppered the start of his season.
Guingamp had a £2.7 million bid for Cosgrove accepted in mid-July, however he turned down the move as he felt it would have meant a rushed decision which was not best for his career.
Later that month he was sidelined by a knee injury against Hibernian in a pre-season friendly, with initial fears that he could miss the majority of the season.
🔴 @samcozzee back among the goals in spectacular fashion 🔥#StandFree pic.twitter.com/sKajUTTetZ
— Aberdeen FC (@AberdeenFC) November 6, 2020
Cosgrove found the net 23 times last season and was linked with numerous moves to England, with Middlesbrough and Stoke City just two of the clubs mentioned in connection with his services.
The move to Ligue 2 side Guingamp was not one that suited him but he feels he is more than capable of getting back to those heights again.
Cosgrove said: “It came up really quickly, out of nowhere. Due to their restrictions on their transfer window, it was due to close in a matter of days. It was a decision I felt was rushed and it was a big decision.
“When a club comes in with a multi-million-pound offer, which it was in the end, it’s naturally something you want to look at. But at the end of the day it wasn’t the right move for me, both football-wise and me looking forward in my life. It wasn’t the move I felt that would benefit me the most.
“Can I get another multi-million-pound offer? I’d like to think so. I was unlucky with the time of my injury but all I can do is replicate the form I had last season. If I keep scoring goals and the team’s performing, I don’t see why the interest can’t be generated.”
Damaged knee cartilage had left Cosgrove a frustrated onlooker for the Dons’ impressive start to the season but he is relishing being back involved.
“Before we got the initial scan results it didn’t look good. The mechanism of the injury and the way it happened, it could have been something potentially worse. But as it was, it wasn’t ideal, it wasn’t a great injury. But it could have been a lot worse.
“It’s been a long road to recovery, especially when the team is doing so well you can feel like you’re missing out. To be back on that pitch now, there’s no better feeling. It was against Hibs that it happened – I didn’t realise that until after the game on Friday.
“ I got great advice from the medical staff – Adam Stokes, Neil Dalton and Gary Ritchie – and they have been brilliant with me. The recommendations and opinions I got were first-class and I can’t thank them enough.
“Luckily after that six weeks it had healed enough that it was essentially the green light to get back going. There was a couple of setbacks along the way, which were unrelated to the knee and pushed me back two or three weeks, so I could have been back even earlier.”