Panutche Camara has thanked the Ipswich Town medical team for their support after making his long-awaited debut for the Blues.

The central midfielder came off the bench at Cambridge in the Papa John’s Trophy last night, having not played competitively since the middle of April after a string of injury issues.

Town’s new signing from Plymouth arrived in Suffolk with a groin injury which had kept him out for the entirety of pre-season with Argyle and required surgery, with the central midfielder delighted to finally be back on the pitch after so long out.

Writing on social media in Portuguese, he said: “After six months out of competitions, I finally got back to playing.

“I thank God every day for the strength he has given me through the most difficult time of my life and I would like to thank the medical department at Ipswich Town for their patience and care for me.”

Speaking after the game at the Abbey Stadium, Town assistant Martyn Pert said of Camara, who played 45 minutes: “It was nice to get Pan some minutes on the pitch.

“He’s coming back from an injury, surgery and he was injured with Plymouth before that with his other groin, so he’s had a bit of time out now, so it was nice to get him some minutes on the pitch.

“It wasn’t ideal in terms of being down to 10 men so he didn’t get as many touches, but he was able to get some minutes into his legs and he was contributing with putting pressure on them and getting around the pitch."