West Ham United youngster Lennon Peake recently made his return to football after undergoing two surgeries since 2020.

The Lowdown: Peake’s injuries

After rupturing his ACL, MCL, LCL and meniscus, the midfielder underwent an initial surgery to repair the problem.

However, issues emerged following the procedure, and the 20-year-old had to undergo a second surgery – effectively restarting his recovery process from the beginning.

As a result, the last time Peake took to the field in a competitive match was back in February 2020.

The Latest: Peake’s return

As per Claret & Hugh’s report, Peake made his return to football at the weekend as he appeared for West Ham’s U21’s side in their Premier League 2 clash against Manchester City.

Despite the Hammers’ 4-1 defeat, the youngster was overjoyed to put the claret and blue shirt on once again:

“It was almost like starting again. It’s been a long journey, a long road, but it’s great to be back. I’ll never take playing football for granted ever again.”

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The Verdict: Pushing through the ranks

Getting back to full fitness with the U21’s, Claret & Hugh claim that the 20-year-old will now be dreaming of making a breakthrough to the Irons’ first-team, hoping to establish himself as a prospect for Moyes’ squad going forward.

However, as West Ham’s busy transfer window saw eight new players worth £170m arrive through the door at Rush Green, the opportunity to break through into the first-team squad will appear even more difficult for the academy’s youngsters.

Becoming a prominent player in the Premier League 2 will be imperative for Peake if he is going to bounce back from what was seen as a potentially career-ending injury.