Leon Chiwome was pleased to get his first 45 minutes back after injury, with the striker playing the first half in Friday’s under-21s defeat to Arsenal.
The injury came at a time when Chiwome was playing Premier League football with the first-team, and the youngster has spoken on returning to the grass following a four-month layoff and his experiences of playing in the top tier last season.
On his first minutes back
“It feels good to be back and to be on the grass kicking a ball around. It was definitely physically tough.
“After being out for four months without a game, it’s always going to be hard in the first minutes back, but it was good.”
On the road to recovery
“It’s been alright coming back from a hamstring tear, so it’s been pretty smooth. I’m back into training with the first-team and integrating with the 21s as well.
“It’s been relatively easy. There were a couple of hiccups at the start, but the rehab has been quite smooth.”
On playing in the Premier League last season
“It’s been amazing and it’s definitely an experience I’ll carry with me for the rest of my life, no matter where I end up in football or if I’m not in football anymore. I’ll definitely keep that close to me for the rest of my life.
“There’s a lot of lessons and mistakes that I’ve now rectified, and I now know what it takes to get to the top and be a top player in the Premier League – there are a lot of sacrifices you’ve got to make.
“Playing in the Premier League for that short space of time has really opened my eyes to what it takes.”
On his time at the club so far
“I’m really enjoying it. There have definitely been some mentally tough moments and physically tough moments with all my injuries but, overall, it’s been an amazing experience.
“I can’t really put any bad words into my mind to describe my experience here so far.”
On his aims going forward
“I’m just taking it game by game and hopefully I’ll maybe start integrating with the first-team again.
“It’s always going to be a pleasure to play for the first team, but I’m happy playing with the 21s and getting my minutes back up.”
