Cheikhou Kouyaté is back, after having played for Courtrai for one year, he returned to Sporting Anderlecht at the start of the season 2009-2010. Although a fracture of the cheekbone threatened to throw a spanner in the works during the preparation period, the 19-year-old Senegalese midfielder is fit and ready to show what he has got to offer.

Cheikhou Kouyaté’s preparation was going well until he received a cheekbone fracture during training. "Especially because I was in good shape and feeling well at that moment, this injury was hard to except for me at first. At the beginning of the preparation I had said to myself: now I am going to show what I’m worth and then, all of a sudden, I got injured. That was difficult", the midfielder said. "The first week, in particular, was tough, but thanks to the support of the coach, the physical trainers, everybody, actually, I was able to pull myself together."

In the meantime, the midfielder has been training with the group again for several weeks and it seems to be going better every day. "Physically, I am fine, I am back were I was, but now I need matches to become even better. I have been training with the group for some three weeks now and I have already played a friendly game and two U21 matches, so things are going well", Kouyaté said. "I have to admit that I am still afraid from time to time. Not during training, but when I am playing a match, I sometimes have doubts when it comes to high balls. Sometimes, I go for it, but sometimes I don’t."

Kouyaté came from FC Brussels to RSC Anderlecht in July 2008. "Why I chose Anderlecht? Well, it is still Anderlecht, it is a big team, with many talented players. Playing a good season for Sporting can really get your career going. When you play a good season for a smaller team, on the other hand, that often escapes notice", the Senegalese, who also had other options, said. "I could have gone to other clubs, for instance in France and the Netherlands, but, together with my manager, we decided that it would be better for my development if I stayed in Belgium. I still have much to learn and I will be able to make a lot progress here."

Still, last season was a difficult one for the young Senegalese. He had only just come from Brussels, when Sporting lent him to Courtrai. "I knew that I had to do my best to play well at Courtrai", the sympathetic midfielder said. "At Anderlecht they told me: don’t think of this as a lost season, but play well and come back stronger.' I said to myself that I had to go for it then", he said. "It was difficult in Courtrai at the beginning, because I was not playing. The coach already had a fixed team when I arrived. I had to work hard to convince them of my capacities. I sat on the bench for six matches, but I played the seventh. I showed the coach that he could count on me then", Kouyaté - who still keeps in touch with Courtrai’s staff and his former teammates - said.

Kouyaté is not just doing well on the field, he was also the one who advised Anderlecht to buy Cristophe Diandy. "My manager and Mr Van Holsbeeck asked me whether I knew a good player and I suggested Diandy. Diandy is a friend from Senegal and I knew that he was very talented. That is the only thing I told them and, thereupon, they asked him to test here. He immediately showed what he could do. The fact that he was able to train with the A-team, allowed him to improve himself. You can tell that he makes progress every day."

It is clear that everyone expects a lot of RSCA’s youth, as, at the beginning of the season, the management said that youngsters like Bouba and Kouyaté are RSC Anderlecht’s future. "Personally, I think it is really great to read and to hear this. It is also very motivating, you want to do everything you can. I do not want to disappoint Sporting, I want to show them that they are right to put their trust in me. Show them that they made the right decision when they offered me a contract", Kouyaté said.