ARNAUD Djoum has hailed the support of the Hearts coaching staff after making his long-awaited return to action following six months of injury hell.
The 28-year-old turned out for Hearts’ reserve side on Tuesday afternoon as they succumbed to a 2-0 defeat against their Motherwell counterparts, playing for an hour at Forthbank and emerging unscathed.
It was the Cameroon international's maiden appearance since suffering a devastating snapped Achilles during a 1-1 draw against Ross County in February.
The initial prognosis suggested Djoum would face eight months out, however he was back in full training at the start of this month.
Having made a swift recovery, he was quick to underline the importance of his family and colleagues in helping him to navigate his fitness woes.
“It’s been a really tough six months. This has been my first big injury of my career and it was hard to come to terms with,” said Djoum.
“Thankfully my family was next to me to support me and the staff were very good with me.
“I’m really happy to be back on the pitch, it has been a long time for me and it is good to be enjoying playing again.
“Everybody at the club helped me every day to come back strongly and I’m to be able to put a difficult time in the past.
"Now I can look forward to being back in the first team.”
Djoum insists the encounter against Stephen Craigan’s young Motherwell side was ideal, with the Steelmen taking no prisoners.
“I feel good and strong and that is the most important thing,” Djoum continued. “The first 15 minutes was quite tough. It was an intense game because Motherwell did very well and played very physically.
“But that is good for me. I like to fight for the challenge, that is a big part of my game. I think it is better to start like this – have a high-impact, high-intensity game – as that’s the level I want to be at.
“I managed to get through an hour and feel great.”
Djoum is likely to come into contention for Hearts’ Premiership trip to Motherwell on September 15 following the upcoming international break.
He added: “I think I need a couple of full 90 minutes to feel really good, really fit to play wit the first team. I don’t want to rush anything, I want to be ready – it’s what I have worked so hard for.”
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