"I will always be grateful to the coach for that"
As Diakite told the "Kleine Zeitung", Fabio Ingolitsch played a significant role in the young career of the 31-cap Ivory Coast international. Ingolitsch once converted Diakite, who had been moved to central midfield, back into a striker at Liefering.
"In Africa, I was a striker and a winger, and in Europe, I was a midfielder. But Fabio fought for me to play as a striker. He then explained that to Christoph Freund as well. Fortunately, I was then a striker again, which is what I always really was. I will always be grateful to the coach for that," said Diakite.
Ingolitsch himself recalls: "He was announced as a midfielder. A typical box-to-box player. But I quickly saw that he was better suited as a striker, with his power and speed."
That paid off. Under Ingolitsch, the 1.82-meter tall right-footed player scored twelve goals and provided eleven assists in 35 games for Liefering.
Will history now repeat itself at SK Sturm Graz?
