'Unreal' feeling for Kasumu as he finally makes his Dons return

After spending nearly four months on the sidelines through injury, David Kasumu said it felt great to be back again.

The 21-year-old hadn't kicked a ball since the 1-0 defeat to Plymouth Argyle at Home Park in December before coming on as a second-half substitute against Crewe on Easter Monday for the last half an hour.

His comeback had been a long-time coming too. Manager Russell Martin had often muted a return was on the horizon for Kasumu, but the midfielder suffered a few setbacks en route to his return - not least the postponement of their game with Lincoln on Good Friday when his comeback had been on the cards.

"You couldn't predict that: the first game I'm back gets postponed!" he laughed. But he didn't have to wait long, just three days, before he was finally able to get back on the pitch again.

"It was unreal," he said. "It has been a long time on the sidelines watching the boys. It felt good after three months in the physio room, even after being out there training with them for a few weeks, but being out there felt unreal and I hope I can keep going."

Still early in his career, the injury was Kasumu's first major spell out of the side since his breakout season. With the pandemic still keeping players separate, Kasumu said despite missing out on training with his team-mates, the squad kept him very much in the loop and a part of things behind the scenes while he was in the treatment room.

He said: "It was my first real long-term injury and it was tough mentally early on. There are a lot of people here who will talk to you, the lads were great with me, I was still connected to the team. But it was tough.

"You've got to turn back into a fan and cheer them on! It's frustrating because you're not out there playing. You learn things when you're watching too.

"You have to use that time to do the right thing, stick to the plan they give you so when you come back you're in the best shape. All the medical staff really helped me out to come back as strong as I can be."