I Thought I Would Never Play Again - Mfon Udoh

It is no surprise that, having been out for about five months, the foremost emotion for captain Mfon Udoh is relief. Over and over, as he spoke to Enyimba Media on the day he fully returned to action, he declared himself "glad" – "glad I'm up now", "glad I'm back on my feet".

 

 

The road to recovery has not been straightforward for the star forward. Five games to the end of the 2017 season, Udoh suffered knee ligament damage which ruled him out for the rest of the campaign.

 

 

He admitted it was serious enough that he considered his career might be over.

 

 

"It has been a very difficult period for me, I must confess. Coming from injury, back to training right now. At first, when I had the injury, I thought I was never going to play again, because of the severe nature of the injury."

 

 

The People's Elephant pulled through to secure a third-place finish, and have begun the new season in somewhat mixed fashion. For Udoh, the worst part of his injury has been dealing with his inability to do what he loves best.

 

 

"Honestly, sometimes, I would wish I could borrow someone's legs to go and play," he laughed. 

 

 

"You can't just stay away. You have a hunger for the game, as a professional, and sometimes staying outside and watching my colleagues play, I thirst(ed) for the game. It made me want to come back as quick as I could.

 

 

"I have to applaud our medical crew, they have been awesome. From the beginning of the injury, they were there for me, they made sure I underwent all the necessary treatment. I'm so grateful to the players too, who have been supportive."

 

 

Naturally, with the club's highest scorer over the last five seasons now back in training, thoughts will inevitably turn to the possibility of an improvement in Enyimba's scoring fortunes. However, Mfon was keen to applaud the team's effort so far, while offering an alternative diagnosis for the struggles in front of goal.

 

 

"The inability to score goals in the team right now, I think it's because we're just starting. We have a bulk of new players getting to know each other. I think, as time goes on, we'll blend. 

 

 

"But as for me I'm going to try my best. I'm going to join in, join forces with my players, and make sure we try as much as possible not to put the fans under pressure."

 

 

Mfon got a brief run-out as a substitute in a friendly against a Calabar selection on Friday, and understandably was rusty. However, there is no doubting his desire to return to his best, and offer a boost to the team.

 

 

"I'm so glad right now that I've gotten back to my feet, I've started training, and I believe I'm going to come up strong. The most important thing is just to help my team."