Roma head coach Paulo Fonseca said the club will not rush Nicolo Zaniolo after the Italian star made his long-awaited comeback from injury.

Zaniolo has flourished in the Italian capital since arriving from rivals Inter in 2018 but he tore his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in January.

However, the 21-year-old returned to action on Sunday – coming off the bench in the 66th minute of Roma's 2-1 Serie A loss to Napoli in a huge boost for Fonseca's side.

"He had no more than 30 minutes, slowly he will become important again," Fonseca said post-match.

"He entered a difficult moment but tried to help the team. Soon Zaniolo will be ready to help the team."

Fonseca added: "It has been a positive moment, it has been a long time out and he is not yet in the best conditions to play many minutes. 

"However, it was important for him to come back against a great team. Let's see how he responds during the week, we must be careful of this moment. Let's not forget that he's been out for a long time."

Roma lost their third consecutive game to be sixth in the Serie A table with eight matches remaining.