Diego Llorente thanked Leeds United fans for their support after he made his return to first-team action following his latest injury issue.
Signed for £18million in the summer transfer window, Llorente immediately suffered an injury while on international duty with Spain.
He has since suffered a series of injuries and setbacks as he looks to make his mark at the club, the latest of which was him limping off against Newcastle United last month.
However, Llorente returned to training earlier in February and then played the full 90 minutes in the 3-0 win against Southampton on Tuesday night.
It was his first Leeds United clean sheet and an impressive performance from a player who will have been desperate to see out the game's duration.
Afterwards, the defender shared his thanks to Leeds fans for their support, while also heralding the importance of persistence and determination through adversity.
Writing on Twitter, he said: "Back in business. Win. Clean Sheet. Insist, persist and never give up. This is the way. Thanks for the support!"
Llorente will now be eager to put together a run of consistent appearances, as will his manager Marcelo Bielsa.
Leeds have shipped plenty of goals this season; prior to the Southampton win, the Whites had conceded 43 goals in 24 games.
Only West Bromwich Albion, who sit in 19th position and have the worst goal difference in the division, have conceded more.
However, Bielsa's hands have been tied at the centre-back position, with key injuries hampering his team selection and the opportunity to build partnerships at the back.
Llorente's return should hopefully ease those concerns, and a clean sheet is a fine way to start.
Another new signing, Robin Koch, underwent surgery earlier in the season, but is set to return to training in the first week of March, Bielsa confirmed in today's pre-Aston Villa press conference.
Meanwhile, Liam Cooper has spent time on the sidelines and Bielsa has had to use Luke Ayling and even Kalvin Phillips as makeshift centre-halves at different points throughout the year.
Llorente's return, then, is critical as Leeds enter the final stretch of the season, and Bielsa was pleased to see him back in the fold.
"Our defensive game is collective," he said in his post-match press conference.
"Our forwards do a lot of work, so it’s less difficult for our defenders to recover the ball. Evidently, Llorente is a player with hierarchy.
"In a game like this, where the opponent used different strikers and the majority of them with quality, it was very necessary, his contribution."
Leeds moved into the top half of the table with the win over Southampton.
They now face crucial matches against Aston Villa, West Ham United and Chelsea as they attempt to establish themselves in the top 10.
