Charly Musonda has expressed his delight at returning to the pitch to play his first game in two years following injury.
The attacking midfielder played just over an hour for the Chelsea U23s in their 4-3 win over Liverpool U23s in the Premier League 2 on Saturday.
The 24-year-old has been on Chelsea’s books since 2012 but has struggled to break into the first team, making just three senior appearances for the Blues.
At the start of the 2019/20 season, Musonda was loaned out to Vitesse but just a week into his stay at the Dutch side he suffered a posterior cruciate ligament injury that has ruled him out of action ever since.
Following a lengthy rehabilitation period, the Belgian returned to training at Stamford Bridge in May of this year and his appearance in Saturday’s game marks a great step in his recovery and is a testament to his determination and resilience.
On a post on Instagram, Musonda wrote: “For the first time in over two years, I’m back on the field.
“Proud of this achievement after a couple years of rehab, exhausting hard work both physically and mentally to be in this position, nerves, rustiness, but all in all unbelievable feeling to play once again.
“This is just the beginning, the comeback continues.”
And the reaction to Musonda’s return has been heart-warming to say the least, with thousands of fans and fellow professionals showing their support, including Manchester City forward Raheem Sterling and Crystal Palace striker Odsonne Edouard, who was teammates with Musonda at Celtic.
Former Chelsea academy player Mukhtar Ali wrote: "Good to see you back bro!"
Alfie Edwards commentated: "We know the talent you have and the baller you have the potential to be. Keep your head up."
Madbaoutchels wrote: "Love to see it", while londonwillalwaysbeblue said: "So happy to see you back in action again bro."
