The Brazilian made his first appearance since August in the capital on Thursday afternoon, and highlighted the importance of getting 76 minutes under his belt against a strong Spurs side.
He said, “After an injury, you need to recondition yourself to be able to play 90 minutes. Obviously it’s not the result that I wanted, but it’s a victory from a personal perspective to be back on the pitch and not feel any sort of pain.
“They are a tough team to play against. I’m glad I came back in this game, because if I can play here, then I feel confident that I can perform against any other team.
“Due to my injury, I haven’t had many minutes, but I’m ready and determined to change that. I want to play and I’m preparing myself to get more minutes, so when that opportunity comes, I’ll do my best and keep on going.
“I’m sure that I’ll have a big role in this team and I’m determined to do well.”
The 24-year-old reflected more on the game in general, and feels the defeat was a harsh reflection on the match, before speaking about the need to convert more of their goalscoring chances.
“We had a chance, but we didn’t take our opportunities, and they took theirs. We need to take ours, and that’s something that we need to fix.
“But the most difficult thing is to create chances in the first place, which is what we’re doing, and I feel like we’re playing well at the moment.”
The defender also spoke about Ezequiel Schelotto’s first start for the team since May 2018, and praised the full-back for a gutsy performance against Jose Mourinho’s men on the other side of Albion's defence.
“His case was much worse than mine, and I know how difficult it was for me to come back with this knee injury.
“He had six months out. I’m very happy for him because he had an amazing match and played with so much energy. He’s a player that can help us a lot.”