Nigeria international Tyronne Ebuehi has expressed his delight after making his long-awaited return to action, nearly 13 months after a serious knee injury ruled him out of the game, Soccernet.ng reports.
The Empoli right-back came off the bench in the 65th minute of Sunday’s goalless draw against Cagliari to make his first appearance of the 2024–25 Serie A campaign.
The match, played at the Stadio Carlo Castellani, saw the 29-year-old replace Junior Sambia as Empoli continued their fight to avoid relegation.
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Ebuehi had not played since suffering a cruciate ligament injury during a league clash with Bologna on March 16, 2024 — an ordeal that sidelined him for the remainder of last season.
What has Tyronne Ebuehi said?
Speaking to Italian outlet TMW after the match as per ParmaLive, Ebuehi said:
“I’m happy to be back on the field, I feel ready and determined to give my contribution to achieve safety. I want to help the team in this final part of the season.”
Despite the encouraging return of the Super Eagles fullback, Empoli remain 18th in the Serie A standings with 24 points from 31 games — two points adrift of safety, with seven matches left to play.
Reflecting on Empoli’s relegation worries and the club’s survival chances, Ebuehi said:
“We still have two points to recover, but there are games to play and opportunities to exploit. We have to give it our all until the end.
“It was the second serious injury of my career, I was out for a year and it was very difficult. There were tough moments, but now I’m just happy to be back.”
Empoli’s next test comes away at Napoli on April 14, as the Serie A strugglers continue their battle to remain in Italy’s top flight.
Ebuehi featured 15 times in Serie A last season, registering one assist. He joined Empoli in July 2022 after spells at Benfica II and Venezia. He made his Serie A debut for Venezia against Napoli in August 2021, and played his first top-flight game for Empoli against Lecce on August 28, 2022.
Across his Serie A career, the Nigerian defender has racked up 61 appearances, scored twice, provided five assists, and received just one red card.
With his return, Empoli will hope the experienced full-back can help steady their defence and inspire a late-season surge to safety.