Ghana midfielder Kwadwo Asamoah has handed the Black Stars a major boost ahead of the start of next month 2018 World Cup qualifiers as he has returned to action after nearly one year on the sidelines because of injury.
The Juventus midfielder returned to competitive action for the Italian giants on Sunday in their 3-1 win over Bologna in the Serie A on Sunday.
The versatile midfielder was introduced in stoppage time after taking the place of Germany international Sami Khedira.
Juventus coach Max Allegri fulfilled his promise of fielding the fit-again Ghana at the Juventus Stadium after recovering from the injury that has kept him out of action for close to a year.
His return to competitive action for Juventus means he is now ready to play for Ghana ahead of the start of the 2018 World Cup qualifiers in November.
Asamoah missed the Africa Cup of Nations in Equatorial Guinea in January because of the knee injury and many says the Black Stars could have won the trophy if they Juventus star had played.
The talented player was key for Ghana in the qualifiers and his skills were missed as the Black Stars reached the final of the tournament in Equatorial Guinea only to be beaten by Ivory Coast on penalties.
Coach Avram Grant will be delighted to have the playmaker in the squad but the return also will present the Israeli manager with selection headache.
The return of Asamoah also means some regular players of the Black Stars will make way for the skilful player while some would have to be dropped to accommodate the Juventus player.
Sunday's match was the first competitive match for the Ghana international since November last year in the UEFA Champions League 3-2 win over Olympiacos due to a recurrent knee problem.
But besides the three points won, which magnificently propel Juventus all the way up to 12th position in the table, the best news of the day was without a trace of the doubt the return of Kwadwo Asamoah, who has managed to recover and — hopefully — put behind him the injury woes.
And it wasn't just an ordinary return — he did it in astonishing manner, registering a perfect passing accuracy in the 30 seconds he was on the pitch.
Welcome back, Kwadwo!