I am happy to be back – KP Boateng

Ghana midfielder Kevin-Prince Boateng finally made his long-awaited debut for AC Milan when they shared the spoils at 1-1 with AS Roma in the Serie A at the Stadium Olimpico on Saturday.

The 28-year-old rejoined Milan from German side Schalke 04 in January after mutually terminating his contract.

Boateng came on as a second half substitute to replace Luiz Adriano, playing 33 minutes in the process but he insists he is yet to hit top form.

“I’m happy to be back. It’s been a while since my last match,” he told Milan TV. “The team played a great game tonight. It’s never easy to come from behind against Roma, but in the end it’s two points dropped based on how we played.

“Apart from the opening 10 minutes, we put in a great performance. We have to battle and turn our attention now towards Wednesday’s massive cup tie. We can improve with each day. I can also get better and grow because I’m still not yet 100%.

“I want to get there, work hard and carve out a place for myself in this team and win. We have to and want to beat Carpi in the cup,” he added.

Milan coach Sinisa Mihajlovic showered praise on the former Tottenham Hotspurs midfielder, urging him to keep it up.

“Boateng came off the bench and did well. He hasn’t missed a single training session in six months and he deserved a contract with us,” Mihajlovic said.

“He showed that he has character, strength and technique. He can play in all roles in attack. I hope he keeps it up,” he added.

Boateng, during his first spell with Milan, won the Serie A title in 2010-11, but they currently lie sixth on the league log with 29 points, 10 points behind fierce rivals and leaders Inter Milan.