Super Eagles striker Cyriel Dessers is set to play his first game under Rafa Benítez at Panathinaikos in their UEFA Europa League clash against Sturm Graz on Thursday, Soccernet.ng reports.
Dessers sustained an injury in Panathinaikos’ Europa League game against Young Boys two months ago.
It was later confirmed to be an ankle injury, and that has sidelined him for the last two months, causing him to miss Panathinaikos’ last eleven matches in the Greek Super League and the Europa League.
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The injury also ruled him out of contention for a place in the Super Eagles squad that participated in the CAF World Cup qualifiers two weeks ago.
However, the 30-year-old striker returned to training last week and has been working with his teammates. Consequently, Dessers is now ready to play again.
Panathinaikos’ next fixture is against Austrian club Sturm Graz in the Europa League, where they will be aiming to secure their third win of the competition.
According to the Greek outlet Paopantou, the Super Eagles star could make his return against Sturm Graz.
If he plays, it will mark his first appearance under former Liverpool coach Benítez, who took over last month while Dessers was still recovering from his injury.
Cyriel Dessers Looking To Shine Under Rafa Benitez
Rafa Benítez is one of the most accomplished coaches in football. He famously won the UEFA Champions League with Liverpool and the Europa League with Chelsea.
He has also worked with some of the greatest players to grace the game, such as Steven Gerrard, Gonzalo Higuaín, Cristiano Ronaldo, Samuel Eto’o, and many others.
It is highly likely that he has already identified areas to help Cyriel Dessers improve his game.
The Super Eagles star has a proven track record of finding the net regularly, regardless of the league. He will be looking to bounce back strongly from his injury layoff and return to action with impact.
