Knee and Achilles problems have kept the Bulgarian international in cold storage for most of the 18 months he has been at the club.
But the briefest of substitute appearances at Upton Park on Sunday, one minute plus injury time, hinted at better things to come for the 23-year-old.
Bojinov was a surprise inclusion on the bench for the defeat in London though he travelled in good heart after bagging a penalty in the mini-derby against United reserves 48 hours earlier.
He couldn't save a point for the unlucky Blues at West Ham but did enough to provide something of a silver lining for boss Mark Hughes.
"I was pleased to see Boj back, I thought it was important to see him back on the field of play," said the manager.
"He has had very little Premier League experience and he needed another taste of it as soon as possible and that was a positive for us.
"It is still early in his comeback and we will see how it goes. He is an option for us but we don't want to rush things. We may well have to ask him to do more than we would like depending on the injury situation for the game against Villa but it is probably a bit too soon to expect him to play 90 minutes in the Premier League.
"Whatever happens in the immediate future he has a part to play from now until the end of the season."
Muscular
Bought by previous boss Sven-Goran Eriksson for £6m from Fiorentina 18 months ago, Bojinov's City career has been beset by one bad injury after another.
In his first season, the muscular powerhouse forward played just 50 minutes of football before sustaining cruciate ligament damage in the August 2007 Manchester derby.
He returned to action this season, scoring in the Thomas Cook Trophy win over Milan and then featuring in the UEFA Cup second qualifying round tie against Danish side FC Midtjylland.
This time the competitive action lasted less than half an hour before he was back in injury rehab after rupturing his Achilles in a freak accident during the warm-up for the opening Premier League game at Aston Villa.
The Blues, though, have never given up on a player who signed a four-year deal and had been labelled one of the most promising strikers in Europe before they bought him.
Bojinov was transferred for nearly £9m as an 18-year-old, having already written his name into the record books by becoming the youngest ever foreign player (15 years and 11 months) to make an appearance in the Italian top flight. That was for Lecce for whom he scored 16 times before a move to Fiorentina and a subsequent loan spell with Juventus.
City chief Hughes was all ready to make him his attacking spearhead this season when the freak Achilles accident occurred.
Surgery
"He had done well to come back from the knee surgery and had won his place in the side on merit. It was a terrible blow," recalled the Blues boss.
"It was a big ask for him to come back again after working so exceptionally hard but he has proved well-equipped to battle injuries. Boj's personality and his demeanour have helped him. He is a naturally buoyant character and needed all of that positive energy because it was a long road of hard work.
"His reaction in the aftermath of the injury at Villa was very positive and he quickly started to get things organised for his rehab to begin as soon as possible. He was straight on to the medical staff to sort out timescales and that is the sort of upbeat attitude that served him well."
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if anybody deserved some luck. then this lad does. it must really get on his nerves. when he has to watch city's games.and see's some of the player's not putting the effort in. and this lad has worked his socks off. for the last two years. just waiting to show what he can do. that's why the fans love him. because they can see how much city means to him.
GOOD LUCK MATE-YOU DESERVE IT....
Great to see boj back, but MH to bring him on in the 89th minute? He should have been brought on for the last 20 minutes especially after west ham scored and city were chasing the game.Start him against villa and give him at least 45 mins.
Mint!
This lovely guy has worked so hard to get back, God willing, he and City can now reap the rewards! Unleish the powerhouse on the Premiership!!
I read this morning that Ireland is feeling the same way i do, worried about getting dragged into a relegation scrap. He claims "we didnt really get off the bus". why is that?
Im against chopping and changing managers because i dont think it gets you anywhere, certainly hasnt for us, however Irelands comments hint at a lack of motivation from somewhere. They better find it quick from somewhere.
It is great to see Boj back, just hope he finally gets some good luck, he deserves it. I'm sure he is physically fine now, but another injury setback would be mentally crippling for the lad.
He should not be rushed back in, and its important people do not expect this guy to be a saviour. Personally I wouldn't be starting him vs Villa if he can't get 70 minutes out at Premier League pace, and he himself would appreciate he needs to get back into things slowly.
I just hope people do not get on this guy's back and give him time if he starts slowly. And seeing many people here have only seen glimpses of him, FYI he will not be a 20 goal machine, he never was, and never will be so I'd flag those expectations before they get out of control.
Boj can be a menance around the box, he has a lethal left foot (scored his fair share of free kicks for Lecce many years ago), and technically comfortable on the dribble. But what Hughes needs to understand (this will test his tactical nous) is that Boj is not a player who is made to play on his own up front (like many other strikers).
I watched many of Fiorentina's games the season Boj struck a formidable partnership with Luca Toni, who incidentally was the first Italian to crack 30 goals in a Serie A season for over 50 years (makes Ronaldo's 40+ haul in the EPL say something about the quality of defending in this league). Several of these goals came indirectly from Boj's presence freeing up space for Toni.
At the start of this season I thought that Boj and Jo playing in a 4-4-2 with Petrov and SWP playing as natural wingers would be a very successful combination in this league, but with injuries, personnel moves and a manager still refusing to utilize the formation that brought him his success at Blackburn (and Wales), unfortunately this will never happen.
The Boj is back! He looked so promising I hope these horrendous injuries have not knocked his confidence, skill or pace.
The Boj is back. We're all willing you to succeed.
If we lose to Villa, which I fully expect, without any forward power following the injuries to Bellamy and Robinho, then we will be deep in a relegataion struggle following our customary thrashing at Chelsea. Stephen Ireland is right. Bojinov, despite his strong character and potential, is not going to be up to speed for ages, maybe next season, that's if he can stay fit, and then he needs to become acclimatised to the Premier league. This eason is in danger of disintegrating. Hughes achilles heel has been his tactical hopelessness.
Boj must be one of the unluckiest players ever. I hope he is ready to play without any further setbacks.
Wouldn`t it be great to see him bang a couple in against Villa? CTID
PJS, Oz
3/03/2009 at 09:32
I agree with you mate.... This lad with an anchor man could be a lethal partnership and seeing that the press are still saying we are going for RSC in the summer, he would be an ideal partner for the Boj and for Bellemy!
Its happening....Get a few top class players to give us better options and this squad would be by far our best yet in the modern game (where you have to play 25!!!! matches to win the Uefa Cup). Just needs to sort the fans now, too many small time moaners on here that have lost pantience since this money has come.... STABILITY brings success! Our neighbours are a primne example of that and even some rag fans with no pantience was asking for Fergie to go at the early stages of his reign!!!
Get the man into the team i say. Clearly he won`t be fit to last the 90, but we need Boj back involved as soon as possible. After the nightmares the lad has endured since signing for City i would trust him to manage his own comeback more than any doctor. Boj has always shown himself to be a committed and proud pro, and i just can`t see him jeopardising his future by playing through anything daft. I understand Hughes not giving him longer against West Ham as we were chasing the game, and that would have been rightly construed as unfair pressure on the fella. Sure we could start another way and bring him on later, but how he goes is somewhat in the lap of the gods. Let him off the leash versus Villa, and let`s see how he gets on feeling his way into it from the off. Boj just needs to be very clear that he must come off if he feels something wrong, even if that happens after 5 minutes. I actually fancy us to get a terrific hour out of him judging by his reserve run outs. His strength is as good as ever, but it`s his stamina that needs work now. Either way it`s superb to see the lad getting closer to full fitness, as the last 18 months have clearly demonstrated what a tough spirit he has. Bojinov is an exception to the modern day lightweight sportsman, and with the luck he is long overdue he will be fantastic for us. Welcome home Boj. You have been sorely missed.
welcome back Boj and good luck with not getting another injury, don't start him against villa not yet anyhow!!
The Boj is back! I think you mean the Boj is finally here! He's barely played 90 minutes of competitive football. I certainly hope he is the saviour some expect, because we do need one at the moment. I hope his return is a successful one and his injury woes are behind him. Now lets see what you can do Mr. Bojinov. 'Won't you come back Valeri!'
Good to see him back if he really is over his injuries, it always reminds me of Lake when you see talented young players wrecked like this. Note of caution though in that he's only played the equivalent of a game in the PL so far and may not even make the grade so people bigging him up is a bit premature. I just look forward to seeing him play ten games so we can see how good he is.
silly bringing him on for 4mins, kind of thing that could have easily pulled something, hardly enough time to stretch his legs and warm up! Should have given him 15mins at least especially as we were chasing the game.
NEW SIGNING!!!!
may as well be... dont know an awful lot about boj... (was away for the milan game) but should give everybody a lift!!!
I'm sorry but Boj has already had two injuries that would have been career finishing 20 years ago. I think he'll get injured again very shortly after returning to the first team and will have to give up on top class football.
He is a big lad who looks like he has a hard time keeping the weight off and I can't see him making it. Sorry.
BOJ IS BACK UNLEASH THE BEAST!!!!
What an absolute SHOCKING RECORD Hughes has.How can anyone defend losing to the likes of West Brom and Stoke??But the biggest embarrasment must be losing 0-3 at home to a struggling Forest side that had just sacked their manager.At any other club he would have been booted out!!He said we will be much stronger in second half of the season.That would include WBA,Stoke,W.Ham would it.??Get Real Happy Boys....Hughes is to date, a total abject FAILURE who has turned this club into a National Laughing Stock!And yet...whats Hughes ever done??Managed that world powerhouse Wales and the mighty Blackburn Rover.Won nowt!!My choice...Frank Rikjaard won 5 tropies...yes tropies in 4 years!!
Thank god, exactly what we need. Not really suprising he wasn`t a 20 goal per season player at Florentina PJ, can`t think of too many teenagers in any top flight league who were, no reason why he can`t develope into one though. As a pairing with Bellamy he could really flurish, maybe eventually MH might be comfortable in utilizing a 4-4-2 as he has been loath to so far. One thing is for sure , he will give us an aerial threat in the box which we have been lacking all season. You are right about easing him back in to it, if he breaks down again it would be devastating for all concerned. Good luck Boj, some big games coming up, is he in our uefa squad?
Best score pretty swiftly matey
Just remember, Sven haters, when Boj finally starts scoring the goals we've all been expecting from him (and he will) - he was one of the very first Sven signings. And this from a manager who was "too lightweight" and "lucky".
Boj is strong, powerful and will not give up that ball without a fight. He's now had enough injury time in 2yrs that most footballers have in a pro-lifetime, so hopefully that's it now - his own career starts here at City. I'm just really annoyed I can't make it Wednesday, as I always expected to be there for his first home game back (I really believe in this guy), but what can you do? Can't even watch it on the internet, so I'll just avoid the score at work then sit down for MOTD when I get home.
GO, BOJ, GO!!!!
Were all excited and putting a lot of faith in a player that basically to be honest we know very little about.
Lets hope he is as good as we all think.
COME ON BOJ BANG THE GOALS IN!
CTID
i really hope bojinov plays some part in the game the fans will always have a soft spot for him has he has been unlucky with injuries and wat ive seen of him he give his all unlike some others who are at the club good luck boji