Ilmari Niskanen insists Dundee United’s relegation to the Championship was the toughest week of his career.
Niskanen, 25, made a costly error in the Tangerines’ penultimate fixture of the campaign, with his sloppy pass allowing Kilmarnock to grab a 2-0 lead at Tannadice last Wednesday.
Derek McInnes’ men ultimately ran out 3-0 winners; a result that effectively condemned the Terrors to the second tier.
Their fate was rubber-stamped four days later with defeat against Motherwell; with Niskanen dropped in favour of Kieran Freeman.
The disappointment and disbelief are indescribable.
Ilmari Niskanen
And the former Ingolstadt and KuPS flyer has paid tribute to the club’s supporters following a galling campaign of brief highs and devastating lows, with United shipping 70 league goals and finishing three points adrift of Ross County.
“By far the most difficult week of my career behind,” wrote the Finland international.
“The disappointment and disbelief are indescribable. So many things went wrong during the course of the season and the end result was the worst possible.
“Wanted to thank you a lot for your remarkable and continued support throughout the season, even though the times were mostly very tough. I feel really bad that there weren’t many moments of joy or reasons to celebrate.
“It still hurts and lot and will hurt for some time. But we will be back and get this fantastic club back to where it belongs. Shed rule.”
Niskanen joined United in the summer of 2021 following an unsuccessful stint in German football with Ingolstadt.
Largely deployed in a left wing-back role in his first campaign, he made 36 appearances and helped Tam Courts’ side secure European qualification — albeit his creative output in the final third was modest.
Niskanen has found first team opportunities harder to come by this season, starting just nine games, and his goal against Motherwell last month was the first time he had rippled the net in 560 days.
Niskanen remains contracted to the Tannadice club until 2024.
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