Christian Kouame will finally have the chance to make his Fiorentina debut after he was named in the matchday squad that travels to the Stadio Ennio Tardini to tackle Parma in the Serie A on Sunday.
The 22-year-old Ivory Coast international has been out of action since November 2019 because of an Anterior Cruciate Ligament injury while he was with Genoa.
Despite failing to recover, he joined Fiorentina on loan in January but still failed to make an appearance.
Had the Serie A season ended in May, Kouame might not have been able to play for the Viola. However, lockdown measures that suspended football activities because of the coronavirus gave him more time to work on his fitness and his improvements convinced his loan deal to be extended until the end of the season.
“It’s been 235 days, almost eight months, have passed since that November 12 injury, the pain, the operation and the long rehabilitation,” Kouame wrote in an Instagram post.
“In January I transferred to Fiorentina and I’m finally able to be on the field again to play ball after the enormous joy of reading my name on the squad list today.
“235 days, almost 8 months, in which I grew up as a man. But now I can only think about putting my soccer shoes back on and go back to playing.”
Getting to feature for Fiorentina has been something desperately on Kouame’s mind, previously describing whenever he gets to wear the purple shirt as both emotional and at the same time fantastic.
"I certainly really want to go back to playing, but everything must be done without haste,” the former Citadella player told TuttoMercato.
“I am constantly followed by medical and technical staff and only when it is all right and the doctor will give his ok then I will return to full capacity with the group, with which, however, I am already doing various parts of training and preparation.
"I am sure it will be an extraordinary emotion [making Fiorentina debut]. When the time comes, it will be fantastic to be able to wear this shirt. Since my arrival I have received so much affection from clubs and fans, I hope to be able to return as soon as possible."
Kouame’s return could be a boost for Fiorentina who have been winless in their three league games since the restart, drawing one and losing two, including a 3-1 home defeat to Sassuolo last time out.
They sit in 13th place, five points clear of the relegation zone.