Samuel Chukwueze ‘feels good to be back’ following his return to the Villarreal squad after missing five months of competitive action for the Yellow Submarine.
The Nigeria international picked up an injury during the La Liga side’s Europa League semi-final clash against Arsenal on May 6.
In the game in question, he was stretchered off in anguish and could not recover in time for the final against Manchester United.
However, he returned to action on Sunday – replacing Arnaut Danjuma in the 78th minute – as Unai Emery’s men bowed 2-1 at home to Osasuna.
Buoyed by his return, the 22-year-old went on social media to express his excitement, while showing appreciation to the medics at the Estadio de la Ceramica.
“It has been God all through…feels good to be back, I just want to say thank you, Dr Adolfo Munoz Macho, Simon Bueno, Jordi Vives, Angel Torres and all the physiotherapists who made it possible for me to be back playing. I really appreciate…let’s get starting,” Chukwueze wrote on Instagram.
Apart from missing 22 matches for Villarreal in all competitions, he was also absent during the Super Eagles’ first four matches of the 2022 Fifa World Cup qualifiers.
Chukwueze’s return is a massive boost for manager Emery whose team is chasing honours in La Liga, Copa del Rey, and the Champions League.
He could be available for action when the Yellow Submarine square up against Young Boys in Wednesday’s Champions League showdown.
Since joining the Spanish team in 2018, he had made 92 appearances, scoring 12 goals in the process.
With speculation rife about his likely exit from the team during the last transfer window, football expert Francois Miguel Boudet had expressed his disbelief at that move.
“[Chukwueze] is a very good player, he has a very good wing quality,” Boudet told Footballclubdemarseille.
“Against Arsenal in the semi-finals, he was excellent, we saw a winger with a lot of the ball even if he can still be improved. It is very interesting, he is one of the La Liga revelations in the last two years. He is post-trained at Villarreal, it’s very surprising that the club wants to let him go.
“He is someone that should cost a lot, and it’s confirmed with around 100 La Liga games.”