Eberechi Eze took a significant step on his road to recovery when he came through 62 minutes unscathed for Crystal Palace Under-23s on Monday.
The midfielder suffered a serious Achilles injury in the final week of last season but has returned ahead of schedule and is closing in on a return to action.
Eze is hoping to feature in a first-team matchday squad soon and his return is a major boost for Palace.
The 23-year-old started for Palace Under-23s against Blackburn at the Palace training ground and was substituted in the second half after a good run out.
It had initially been feared that Eze's injury would keep him out until the New Year, but the former Queens Park Rangers man has exceeded expectations when it comes to his recovery and is relishing a return.
"The day I come back is going to be beautiful for me," Eze said in a recent interview.
"A beautiful experience stepping out with the fans. I haven’t experienced all the fans before. It’s going to be like my debut all over again. Amazing.
Significant steps in the road to recovery.@EbereEze10 ❤️💙#CPFC | @CPFCAcademy pic.twitter.com/Igu54GLpco
— Crystal Palace F.C. (@CPFC) November 1, 2021
"I’m just enjoying watching the team right now because they’re playing so well and they’re doing exactly what I would have hoped in this team. It’s great to watch that and, seeing that, I just can’t wait to get back and to join them.”
Eze was set to be named in the provisional England squad for Euro 2020 and is relishing playing in Patrick Vieira's new look Palace side, who continued their impressive start to the season with a 2-0 win at Premier League champions Manchester City on Saturday.
