US based soccer star Kalif Alhassan tells 90 MINUTES that he is back in the groove for Portland Timbers hoping to finish highwhat has been an otherwise injury-ravaged season. The Ghanaian winger led MLS last year in assists for players playing their rookie season after featuring in 32 games.

The only bad part was not scoring, but he soon put that statistic to bed in the very opening game of 2012 after also setting up a goal as Timbers beat Philadelphia Union 3-1. He was consequently named MLS player of the week as the future loomed brighter for the 21 year old.

But he unfortunately suffered a groin injury on March 24 against New England Revolution, barely three weeks into the season. The nagging knee injury which has kept the player in and out of action for Timbers all season long restricting him to just ten starts thus far.

But the son of Ghana’s 1982 Africa Nations’ Cup winning star George Alhassan returned to MLS action for Timbers on Sunday after coming on as a second half substitute against Real Salt Lake, having last featured on August 6.

Now he insists he is back for good and raring to go in this coming Sunday’s tough fixture against DC United. “Injuries have been my problem for this season but I’ve now got over it. I feel much better and sure I can last rest of the season without any problems,” Kalif Alhassan told 90 MINUTES from his US base.

He added: “I know my training will help me get back strongly and I thank my coach and medical staff for all their work for me to recover.”