Serie A: Bologna Coach Italiano Delighted with Ferguson's Comeback

Ferguson Makes Long-Awaited Return for Bologna
 

“I'm happy about Ferguson because I could already feel what he meant to the dressing room when I first got here...” 

Lewis Ferguson marks return from ACL injury with substitute appearance in Bologna's Serie A victory.

Bologna coach Vincenzo Italiano had high praise for Scotland international Lewis Ferguson, who made his long-awaited return from a six-month injury lay-off in Saturday's 1-0 Serie A win over Lecce.

Ferguson's return was a significant boost for Bologna, coming on as an 82nd-minute substitute for Switzerland international Remo Freuler. The 25-year-old's appearance came three minutes before Riccardo Orsolini scored the match-winning goal.

Ferguson had been sidelined since mid-April due to a cruciate ligament (ACL) injury, also missing EURO 2024 over the summer. His return was eagerly anticipated, and Italiano was delighted to have him back.

“I'm happy about Ferguson because I could already feel what he meant to the dressing room when I first got here,” Italiano said in his post-match press conference. “We were able to use him to give Freuler a break today.”

Italiano highlighted Ferguson's qualities, both on and off the pitch. “We're getting a great player back, a strong personality in the locker room,” he added.

Given Ferguson's limited fitness, Italiano opted to deploy him in a position where he could get plenty of touches. “He doesn't have more than 20 minutes in his legs at the moment, so we preferred to put him in a position where he could get a lot of touches of the ball, like he did.”

Bologna next faces Monaco in the Champions League on Tuesday before traveling to Roma's Stadio Olimpico next weekend. The Serie A season will then take a break for the final international break of the calendar year.

Key Stats:

Lewis Ferguson returns from six-month injury lay-off.

Bologna wins 1-0 against Lecce.

Ferguson makes substitute appearance.

Match Summary:

Bologna: Riccardo Orsolini (85')

Lecce: None