Samu Aghehowa Returns to Porto Squad After 223-Day ACL Recovery
Samu Aghehowa is back in Porto’s first-team picture after 223 days out with a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee, marking his return at the Estádio do Dragão following the club’s 3-1 victory.
Long recovery ends for Porto striker
The 22-year-old, born in Melilla, had not featured since suffering the serious knee injury in February. The setback stopped a strong run of form and sent the Spanish forward into more than seven months of rehabilitation.
Aghehowa used social media to reflect on the moment, saying he had returned to the place he always wanted to be after a difficult road. He thanked God, as well as his family, friends and Porto supporters, for their backing during his absence.
Roma player Rodrigo Mora, a former team-mate, was among those to send support, telling Aghehowa that he had earned the comeback.
Farioli salutes medical staff
Porto coach Francesco Farioli highlighted the work done by the club’s medical and performance teams to bring Aghehowa back safely.
Farioli said the striker’s return reflected the effort of the entire group, adding that Aghehowa had personally congratulated the staff involved in his recovery. The coach also admitted Porto had felt the impact of playing for months without the forward.
- Aghehowa sustained the ACL rupture in February.
- His recovery lasted 223 days.
- Porto beat their opponents 3-1 in the match surrounding his return.
- Farioli’s side have won each of their first seven Primeira Liga fixtures.
Competition for a place grows
Aghehowa returns to a Porto squad that has maintained a perfect domestic start and sits top of the Primeira Liga. But he will not automatically walk back into Farioli’s starting XI.
During his rehabilitation, Porto increased their attacking options with the arrivals of Mexico international Santi Gimenez and former AC Milan striker Andre Silva. Aghehowa must now rebuild match sharpness and compete for minutes through training and appearances from the bench.
Spain target remains in sight
The injury also interrupted Aghehowa’s hopes of forcing his way into Luis de la Fuente’s Spain plans ahead of the World Cup. A return to the form that made him one of Europe’s most closely watched young centre-forwards could put him back in contention for an international recall.
For Porto, the immediate next step is managing his return carefully while Farioli works to recover other players who have been unavailable in recent days.
