English-born Ghanaian forward Jesurun Rak-Sakyi says he was delighted to be back on the pitch in a Crystal Palace shirt against Barnet on Tuesday evening.
The 20-year-old winger, who spent last season on loan at Charlton Athletic, where he scored 15 goals and assisted nine times in 49 games and was nominated for EFL Young Player of the Season, played the second half of Palace’s 1-0 loss at The Hive.
Rak-Sakyi’s comeback saw him enjoy a couple of great touches on the ball, almost drawing the Eagles level with one particularly fine late bit of footwork – but he was delighted to be back.
Speaking after the game, the UK-based Ghanaian said: “It was just good to get back on the pitch, get a feel of the ball again and just get back into a groove.
“[Paddy McCarthy] just wanted [us] to be ourselves. Every game that we play, he wants us to give a hundred percent, so that’s what we wanted to do to: just get our match fitness back.
“It’s an opportunity for all of us to show the gaffer that we’re good enough to be in and around the first team It’s really an exciting time. We’ve got a really good squad here and I just want to be a part of it.”
The player will be hoping he gets an opportunity to impress Roy Hodgson during the pre-season and earn a place in the first team.
