Thomas Verheydt is confident Reds fans will soon start to see the best of him after he returned to action on Tuesday.
The Dutch striker spent two months on the sidelines after suffering cartilage damage to his left knee in the Checkatrade Trophy game against Charlton on August 29.
After eight weeks of rest and rehab he returned to the fray on Tuesday, playing for an hour in the 3-1 win over Bognor Regis Town in the third round of the Parafix Sussex Senior Cup.
Thomas said: “It was good to be back. The knee is fine but I now need to work on my fitness and get back up to speed so I can help the team.
“I only played a few games before the injury so it’s almost like a new start for me I suppose. I know there is a lot more I can offer the team than perhaps the fans saw before.
I felt before the injury I was getting used to my team-mates, the way the Coach wants the team to play and English football. It is a learning process but hopefully over the next few weeks, with hard work, I can show everyone at Crawley what I can bring to the team.”
Head Coach Harry Kewell was delighted to see the big man back.
“He had a good hour and I thought he did well,” said HK.
“The injury came at a really bad time for Thomas because he was just starting to settle into the squad and our style of play. We have missed him, there’s no doubt about that.
“But let’s not put too much pressure on him. He is still on the way back to full fitness and that’s going to take time. We haven’t scored enough goals – as everyone is aware – but we need goals from all areas of the team, including Thomas. But he does obviously give us another option.”
Pictured: Thomas Verheydt at full stretch on Tuesday when he returned to action against Bognor Regis Town on Tuesday
