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Ilmari Niskanen reveals sports psychologist talks as Dundee United winger preaches mental health focus

Ilmari Niskanen's work ethic has never been in question for United
Ilmari Niskanen's work ethic has never been in question for United

Dundee United winger Ilmari Niskanen has revealed he turned to a sports psychologist following a dip in form last season.

The 24-year-old enjoyed a super start to his Tannadice career, notching one goal and three assists in his opening six appearances following a switch from German side Ingolstadt.

However, the candid wide-man is the first to acknowledge that his performances plateaued as the campaign progressed, with Niskanen enduring a particularly challenging winter.

And the Finland international admits those underwhelming displays took their toll on his morale — which was swiftly spotted by a member of United’s coaching staff.

He was urged to speak to a sports psychologist and, after reaping immediate benefits, has been doing so on a weekly basis ever since.

“A coach [at Dundee United] noticed that it frustrated me when the game wasn’t going in my favour,” explained Niskanen.

“He had used the services of the same psychologist and had experienced benefits. So, he suggested I try that.

“After that, I’ve actually talked to a sports psychologist once a week.

“Many times, it’s just talking about normal, everyday things. That’s it. But I believe it is like a really positive counterweight to football.

“There is definitely room for improvement, but it is slowly moving forward. The results will certainly not be visible in a moment — or even a year from now. But there is hopefully at least ten years left in my career, so it will reward you.”

Clear investment

As a result of his own experience, Niskanen would not hesitate to recommend other players follow a similar path — and is delighted that an open dialogue regarding mental health is becoming more commonplace within sport.

Dundee United’s Ilmari Niskanen during Finland’s recent 2-0 Nations League victory over Montenegro.

“The mental side is such a big part of every sport and football in particular,” he told Finnish broadcaster MTV Uutiset. “It is really great that there has been a clear increase in investment in that.

“I can warmly recommend the right kind of mental coaching to every football player.”

‘Awesome’

Niskanen, meanwhile, is desperate to build upon his debut campaign in Scottish football after lapping up the football, culture and passion on show in Dundee.

“It was very important mentally to succeed after a difficult German period [with Ingolstadt],” he added. “Football is such an insanely important thing for me.

Of course I want to do more now [with United]. Scotland is a great place to live and work. The people are so friendly and football is a really big deal there. That’s just awesome.”

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