Samuel suffered a severe knee injury - a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament, this time on his other knee - on 7 November 2010 fixture against Brescia. This forced him to miss the 2010 FIFA Club World Cup triumph in United Arab Emirates. He returned in action on 15 May of the following year by entering in the last minutes of a 1–1 away draw versus Napoli. After the match Samuel expressed his delighting for playing his first match in almost six months, stating: "I'm feeling good and I'm delighted at having been able to play the last few minutes of this match. I would like to thank the medical staff for the work they did after my injury, my family who has always stood by me, and all the fans." He finished the 2010–11 season by making 15 appearances in all competitions.