Nekounam was injured in the match against Villarreal at El Madrigal stadium on Saturday and was replaced by Stephen Obayan Sunny after 87 minutes.
“I was taken off the field after my thumb injury in the last minutes. I have no pain now and am ready to accompany Osasuna in the next matches. After suffering a tear of my cruciate ligament last year, I am afraid of taking on challenges in the field,” said Nekounam.
He is optimistic that relegation-threatened Osasuna will remain in La Liga. Nekounam added, “We are making efforts to get better results to escape the relegation zone.”
Iran’s iconic midfielder is hopeful that the National Team is able to beat Thailand in the 2011 Asian Cup qualifiers on Wednesday. He stated, “Absence of the foreign-based players is a new experience for the Iranian coaches to test the capability of their team. I believe that this young team can beat Thailand. We have a crucial match against South Korea in the 2010 World Cup qualifiers as well.”