'Great to see you back in action' - La Liga delight as Villarreal's Chukwueze returns from injury twitter facebook reddit twitter facebook reddit

La Liga organisers have celebrated the return of Villarreal forward Samuel Chukwueze after he turned out for the team in their 2-1 league defeat against Athletic Bilbao on Saturday.

The 22-year-old Nigeria international has endured a rough time since he picked up an injury during the Yellow Submarine's Europa League semi-final clash against Arsenal on May 6.

During the game, Chukwueze was stretchered off in anguish and could not recover in time for the final against Manchester United and he also missed the Super Cup clash against Chelsea.

However, after almost five months out, Chukwueze returned to action for the Unai Emery-led side after replacing Arnaut Danjuma in the 78th minute of the team's 2-1 home defeat against Osasuna on October 17.

He then came on for Danjuma and scored at the death as Villarreal cruised to a 4-1 win against Young Boys in their matchday three of the Uefa Champions League on Wednesday.

On Saturday, Villarreal came up against Athletic Bilbao and Chukwueze made his second appearance in La Liga, coming on for the injured Gerrard Moreno in the 20th minute, but he could not help his side claim victory as they suffered a 2-1 defeat.

La Liga have taken to their social media pages to celebrate the return of the Super Eagle.

"Great to see you back in action," La Liga wrote on their Twitter handle. "70 minutes under the belt."

Meanwhile, Emery has called on Chukwueze and Villarreal to react after their defeat against Athletic Bilbao.

"We need to react. We set up for each match looking for the points, getting players ready, and giving minutes to those who are playing less. We need to look at certain things about how we play and how we're performing," Emery told the club's official website.

"We've had two defeats in a row, although we did have a very important win in the Champions League between them."

On the overall outcome of the game, Emery said: "I feel it was an even game, with both teams trying to impose their style. They pressed us well positionally, but we found spaces on the counter.

"Their first goal was a blow emotionally, but we reacted. It played out similarly in the second half. The first penalty sets you back emotionally, but the second gives you hope. In the end, the game ended falling in their favour."