'Just the start' - Sunderland player delivers verdict after major step in injury comeback
The striker featured for Sunderland U21s last week.
Sunderland summer signing Ahmed Abdullahi has admitted that he was “delighted” to return to action after making his debut for Graeme Murty’s U21s on Friday night.
The 20-year-old played 45 minutes of a 1-0 defeat against West Ham in the Premier League 2, marking his first appearance of any kind in red and white since sealing a permanent switch from KAA Gent last year. Having arrived in England with a groin issue, Abdullahi underwent surgery in September, and has been on the comeback trail ever since.
Indeed, in a recent press conference, Regis Le Bris confirmed that the plan was to give the forward a run out with the developmental side before introducing him to the first team picture. The head coach said: "It's difficult because he had surgery and so it is a little bit different to just a muscle injury.
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“But he has now trained fully for two weeks now so he should have some game time with the U21s soon. We'll see him in a game and this is important, because it's not always easy to assess what you can expect from a young player just from training. It is different to Salis [Abdul Samed], for example, who has a lot of experience. But he showed good qualities, for sure. He's a good striker with a high level of physicality, he is strong and he looks like a good finisher. Now it is a question of playing, we'll see him in the U21s and then we can understand how quickly he will be able to connect with us.”
And after finally featuring for his new club, Abdullahi reflected on his first performance in red and white. Speaking to the club’s in-house media team, he said: "I was delighted to be back on the pitch. This has been a long time coming and I am really pleased. Getting some minutes in the tank after being out for so long was important. It is a relief I have come off the pitch feeling okay. This is just the start of my journey back."
He added: "It is good to not feel the pain anymore. It is important I keep building up my minutes. I have had to be patient but everyone at the club has been 100% supportive. I have a good bond with my teammates and now I am excited to build on this momentum."
During his time in Belgium, Abdullahi was a prolific figure for Gent’s youth academy, scoring 21 goals across 38 outings for the club’s U21s. Prior to making the move to Sunderland, he featured twice at senior level for his previous employers. Upon signing for Sunderland, Abdullahi penned a four-year contract, with the Black Cats retaining an option to extend his deal by a further year. It is thought that he cost somewhere in the region of £1.7million.