Ayew returns to Sporting after Turkish loan

Ghana international Kwame Ayew has returned to Sporting Lisbon after his loan spell at Yozgatspor, with Sporting coach Laszlo Boloni promising to reintegrate him into the squad as soon as possible.

Ayew, who was part of the side that clinched the Portuguese title in 1999-2000, is expected to begin training again with Sporting as early as Friday.

Yozgatspor and other Turkish clubs showed an interest in signing the strong and pacy Ghanaian forward, but Boloni is keen to try to reap some return for the ?2 million paid for Ayew when he joined the club from Boavista.

Boloni is short of cover up front, with only Croatian veteran Robert Spehar and new signing Marius Nicolae able to fill the centre-forward position.

Ayew joined Yozgatspor on loan from in November 2000, having hit nine goals for Sporting the previous year. He enjoyed a tremendous start with Sporting in the 1999-2000 season before leaving for African Nations' Cup duty with Ghana. The side was weaker without him.

Ayew moved to Portugal from Italian side Lecce in 1995. He first played for Uniao Leiria, and then had successful spells at Vitoria Setubal and Boavista, where he scored 30 goals in two seasons. He has also played in Saudi Arabia for Ah-Ahli.

The big Ghanaian has made no secret in recent months of his desire to return to Sporting. "Portugal is my second home and I am missing being there," he said in April. "I like the Portuguese people a lot and have a lot of friends there. Apart from that, I'll never forget that it was in Portugal that I became known across Europe.

"I miss some people, some friends and the food. That's also why, despite it being a positive experience here, I prefer it at Sporting."