Angelo Ogbonna has admitted his return to Premier League action was "fantastic" after the defender made a first appearance in the competition since November in West Ham United's 1-1 draw against Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday evening.
Ogbonna suffered anterior cruciate ligament damage in a win against Liverpool last year, an injury that forced the 34-year-old into a 10-month absence. The Italian star would play no further part in West Ham's journey to the Europa League semi-finals and was absent as the Irons secured European football for a second consecutive season.
Having been sidelined for such a significant spell, the former Juventus man's delight was explicit as he helped the Irons to a first home point of the season.
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"I’m so glad, to come back in a derby," Ogbonna said. "It’s been fantastic and a bit emotional because my family was here. I couldn’t wait to get back on the pitch. The result was fantastic, the performance was really good and I think we deserved even more."
Hammers boss David Moyes had previously confessed that he has needed to rush Ogbonna back to fitness amid a defensive crisis that saw both Nayef Aguerd and Craig Dawson suffer pre-season setbacks. However, this is something Ogbonna acknowledged he was happy to do.
He claimed: "To be honest, it’s part of the process. We were a little bit short in defence so I needed to rush a little bit but the medical staff and the manager know everything about my rehab. We’ve been a little bit lucky but we didn’t force it too much and the result is positive."
The Hammers sat bottom of the Premier League table before Sunday's 1-0 win at Aston Villa and holding Antonio Conte's side to a draw will help further eradicate any potential doubts that had emerged during the opening stages of the campaign.
And Ogbonna believes taking a point off third-placed Spurs demonstrates his team can compete with any club in the division ahead of taking on Chelsea at Stamford Bridge this weekend.
"Yeah [it offers encouragement]. We studied the way they played from last season and we can compete against every team. We are not scared. We started [the season] a bit sloppy but I think we didn’t do that bad - we were just sloppy. But tonight, in an important game for us, we can handle every game."
He would also concede that following a summer of change at the London Stadium, which has seen eight permanent arrivals and the likes of club legend Mark Noble depart, meant a sluggish start was somewhat inevitable.
"When you change things, it’s part of the process. It’s normal, when you try to change a lot," Ogbonna explained. "We started a bit sloppy. Last season, we were a little bit short.
"I think we did really well for two seasons, last season was fantastic, and it’s normal that the performances can drop for one, two, three games. Pre-season was quite long as well, we started a little bit early, but it’s part of the process and we need to let the new people adapt."
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