TFC's Akinola says recovery from knee surgery is going well

Young Toronto FC striker Ayo Akinola says he is "not too far" from returning to action from surgery last August to repair an anterior cruciate ligament injured on international duty with Canada.

"I'm doing everything the trainers and medical staff ask me to do," said Akinola. "I don't try to overstep or do anything or go above my boundaries. I just do what I need to do each day. And just go on to the next day.

"But overall it's been pretty good."

Akinola is currently with the team in Texas as it prepares for the Feb. 26 MLS season opener at FC Dallas. He is taking part in the team warmups but is not part of regular training. The hope is he will be back playing in April or May.

While the knee continues to recover, Akinola's mind is clearly in the right place.

"I chose a positive and a strong-willed mindset, that I know I will come back from this even better and stronger," he said in an interview.

He says he was "in shock" when he found out he had torn his ACL.

"But literally a minute later I was in the mode of like 'OK, it is what it is. I can't do anything about it. So let's just see how we can get this done and over with and then get back on the field.'"

Akinola said he spent "24-7" at the TFC training centre in the off-season.

One of his first calls was to teammate Ifunanyachi Achara, who also went through knee surgery and helped answer a lot of his questions.

Akinola, who announced himself with five goals in two games at the 2020 MLS is Back Tournament, has signed a new contract with Toronto that runs through 2024 with an option for 2025. News of the deal came Jan. 20 on his 22nd birthday.

Akinola's existing contract expired at the end of 2021.

"When I was out of contract I definitely explored all my options in