After a nightmare season with Everton, Alex Nyarko is back in France. The Ghanaian International who admitted he would quit football after personal abuse by a fan back in April, was loaned to AS Monaco earlier this month. Delighted to be on a football pitch again, Nyarko told eurosport.com how difficult it had been for him.

"I’m happy to be at Monaco,” said a relieved Alex Nyarko. The player is certainly looking forward to a what should be a completely different football season for him. The midfielder wants to forget about the April incidents that shook his career.

“I was very down, very upset. I was in pain for a long time, admitted the new Monaco player. It took me time to recover. I didn’t believe I could come back."

Not fit enough to make his Monaco debut against Paris SG last week, he could be part of the team set to play Lorient on Saturday. “My teammates try to encourage me and they push me to come back to fitness.” Nyarko has played at club level for the past four months.

The former Everton player has great ambitions for his new club despite their terrible start to the season with two defeats and two draws.

“Monaco have what we call in France 'un ?tat d’esprit', (a good team spirit). All the players are together…If we continue working like that, it’s going to be fantastic. We have a team with the best players I have ever seen all along my career.”

Forget about the defeats against Sochaux and Rennes, “I think we have a great future this year. We have to concentrate on the Championship and our season can be fantastic.”

Alex Nyarko also has the pleasure of being coached by World and European champion Didier Deschamps… “I have a lot of respect for him, insisted Nyarko. He talks to us in a good way…and we listen. I think things are going to be better and better.”

Despite all the problems he had in the Premiership, the Ghanaian International keeps good memories of a club (Everton) in which he is still under contract. He certainly wouldn’t refuse to go back there next season. “I love them, especially the coach. It was also my fault and I’ve learnt from it.”