Port Vale manager Jon Brady says criticism aimed at Mo Faal during his first spell at the club was unfair because of circumstances out of the player’s control – and he is sure the striker will have a big impact this season.
Faal has returned to Vale from Wrexham on loan for 2026-27 after his first spell at the start of last term brought no goals from 13 League One games and only three in 10 matches in other competitions.
The 23-year-old started only nine of those 23 appearances before injury forced him to return to north Wales in January – two weeks after Brady replaced Darren Moore as manager.
Faal was booed at times by sections of Vale fans during his stay but Brady said there were mitigating circumstances.
“When you really dig into his story last time, before he came here he was on a lot of flights around Australia with Wrexham [in pre-season] – he hardly trained and got 15 minutes of game time,” Brady told BBC Radio Stoke in a special studio show on Thursday.
“So he came in so undercooked. It’s not the club’s fault, it’s not his fault, it’s not anyone’s fault.”
Faal ‘looks strong and powerful’ – Brady
Faal’s first game under Brady was a 1-0 win over Fleetwood Town in the FA Cup, with the Australian boss describing the forward’s performance as “excellent”.
Brady said the plan to then build Faal’s match fitness over the next few matches was in place before a hamstring injury abruptly ended his loan an hour into starting against Bolton.
“That hurt, because I think in those two games, compared to what he had done [before], he started to perform well and he knew his role and responsibility inside and out,” Brady said.
“Those people that want to boo him, they can. It’s up to them. But they don’t know the context behind everything. That lad was giving his utmost but the lad, when he first arrived, was undercooked.”
Now back at Vale with a settled pre-season, Faal has joined Max Watters, Onel Hernandez and Oliver Lynch in trying to improve the side’s attacking potency after the club managed only 36 goals in 46 games in League One last term.
And Brady said Faal is now in a great position to do that.
“I really believe in Mo,” he added. “He looks strong, he looks powerful and he’s got the bit between his teeth and that’s really important – when you’ve got a player really hungry to prove himself, that’s half the battle.
“When he’s sprinting, he’s got real aggression and he’s got real intensity to that press. He didn’t have any of that within his body last season.
“When people watch him they’ll see a guy that’s got so much to give for our team, our football club, and I’m sure he will perform this season for us.”
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