Mantorras has been away for a year
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Angola striker Pedro Mantorras has trained for the first time with his Portuguese club Benfica, after recuperating from a knee injury.
Mantorras, voted Africa's young footballer of the year in 2001, completed a 40-minute light workout this week.
It was the first time in over a year that he had joined his playing colleagues.
Although Mantorras only ran around the pitch and engaged in stretching exercises, his return received a lot of attention from the Portuguese media.
The Angolan said he was relieved that he was back on the road to regaining match-fitness.
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It was great to train with my team mates
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"I feel very good and it was great to train with my team mates again, just to feel their affection," he told reporters.
Mantorras had a succession of personal trainers working with him in Lisbon and the Angolan capital Luanda, in order to strengthen the troublesome right knee.
He had a cartilage operation to correct the problem but subsequently suffered a series of setbacks.
Benfica team doctor Joao Paulo Almeida refused to predict a date for Mantorras' comeback but said the player would have to go back to Spain for further consultations with medical experts.
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