Moritz Lanegger is aiming to bow out on a high when he completes his short-term deal with the Giants this weekend.
The Austrian international landed the decisive points in the two dramatic wins against Worcester and Bristol, and has been inspirational in the three consecutive wins since his arrival.
He has signed for FOG Naestved in Denmark, and departs Manchester after this Sunday’s game against Leeds.
Lanegger said: “When I came here, it was to sign until the end of November first and see how things have worked out.
“I’ve liked it here, it has been a great experience. The team is awesome, they have been awesome with me as the new guy and it’s been a pleasure to play here.
“I had an opportunity in Denmark which I have to take because it’s a step in my professional career.
“I kind of feel sorry to leave the team now, we’ve won three in a row and we’ve got two games coming up and hopefully we can win at least one of them. It’s a bit sad to leave, but I have to take my opportunity and do what’s best for myself.”
Lanegger hit the headlines over the weekend with the stunning buzzer-beating three-pointer that led the Giants to a dramatic 89-88 win over Worcester, before he kept his cool from the free throw line to finally see off Bristol 82-80 in overtime on Sunday.
He added: “We could have made it easier for ourselves! We could have won it in the last second of the fourth quarter, but we were lucky and smart to take it home in overtime.
“We’ve got to learn off those situations and be smarter in the next game.
“It doesn’t matter who it is, if it’s me that takes the shot, I got fouled at the end. I think Sam had a great game. He was there too. It doesn’t matter if it’s me or anyone else, I’m just happy we won the game.”
Lanegger will turn out for the Giants in London on Friday before a farewell on Sunday against Leeds, but he hasn’t ruled out a return to Manchester in future.
“For sure, you never know, we’ll see!”
Giants CEO, John Dwan, added: “Mo is a high quality player and we always knew it was a short-term contract. We tried our best to keep him but we always knew he’d be attracting teams from a higher level.
“He was in between contracts and we were lucky to get someone of his calibre even for just a short period, and obviously he’s had the impact that we wanted him to and more.
“We have already started discussions with Mo about next season.”
Make sure you’re there to say thanks to Moritz for his contribution when the Giants take on Leeds Force at the Trafford Sportsdome this Sunday, 5pm. Buy tickets online now. CLICK HERE.
