Nakayama plays for first time since injury in November
- Huddersfield Town play Accrington Stanley in BCD game
- Yuta Nakayama plays his first 30 mins in nine months
- Brahima Diarra and Jordan Rhodes also back in match action
Yuta Nakayama got his first competitive minutes on the pitch in over nine months as Town took on Accrington Stanley in a behind-closed-doors friendly on Tuesday afternoon.
The Japan international has been out since sustained the serious Achilles injury in the home game against Sunderland in November but played the final 25 minutes as a substitute in the match at the Millers Oils High Performance Complex.
Having signed for the Terriers as a free agent in the summer of 2022, Yuta made 16 appearances in all competitions for Town before his injury, which required surgery and a lengthy rehabilitation process.
There were also welcome returns for Brahima Diarra, who is back from international duty with the Mali Under-23 side in the Africa Cup of Nations tournament in Morocco, and Jordan Rhodes, who didn’t travel to Cornwall with the squad last week after a small injury issue.
A total of 21 players got minutes for Neil Warnock’s team in the competitive game against the Sky Bet League Two side as the new season approaches.
Manager Neil Warnock commented:
“It was fantastic to have Yuta back out on the pitch today, as I know he’s been out for a long time. He came to Cornwall with us last week and was involved in all the training sessions with contact, but it’s a big moment for him to play in his first game since the injury.”
He continued:
“Today’s game was just what we needed at this stage. It was a tough game and it gave us more good playing minutes under the lads’ belts.”
Warnock’s men are back in action on Saturday with a game against another Sky Bet League Two side, Stockport County, in a 3pm kick-off at their Edgeley Park ground. For full admission information for that game, click HERE!
Yuta is pictured above wearing the new 2023/24 Umbro home kit - click HERE to buy it online now!
