It feels "so good to be back" for Eberechi Eze following his return to action for Crystal Palace U23 against Blackburn Rovers on Monday.
The former England youth international of Nigerian descent picked up an Achilles injury during a training session with the Eagles and that kept him on the sidelines for six months.
That knock came as a serious blow for the budding star who was already guaranteed a place in England squad to Euro 2020, where the Three Lions finished as runners-up.
Although the winger was expected to be out until 2022, he featured for 62 minutes in Palace’s 2-1 defeat to Rovers and that would be a piece of good news for manager Patrick Vieira.
“God I give it all to you! So good to be back,” Eze tweeted.
Apart from missing 18 matches for Crystal Palace in all competitions, he also missed a chance to be capped by the England senior national team.
He could be available for action when Vieira’s men square up against Burnley in a Premier League showdown on November 20.
Following his eye-catching outings for Queens Park Rangers in the Championship, he was signed by the Selhurst Park side on a five-year deal of around £17 million last season.
He quickly settled in South London, making 34 appearances in the Premier League and bagged four goals with five assists.
Reviewing his performances, his former manager Roy Hodgson praised the player’s influence on his side during the 2020-21 season.
“He’s had a good season, there’s no question of that. I think it’s nice that, not just on this occasion [against Sheffield United], but even on other occasions, he really has shown his skills to the utmost and everyone’s picked up on it. I’m really pleased about that,” Hodgson told the club website.
“I’m most pleased with the way he’s settled in, the way he’s become such a team player, the way he works very hard to absorb any tactical information and do the things that the team requires of him, apart from, of course, the mazy dribbles, the excellent ball control he’s been blessed with also.
“He knows he has these excellent technical abilities; he knows he is a good player capable of becoming a really good player of the very highest level, but there’s still a bit of learning to be done, a bit of experience to be gained.
“His progress for me has been solid, it’s been there all the time. I’ve seen him getting better, we know what he can do, we know that he’s capable with what he did on Saturday against Sheffield United.”