 He returned to Palermo by the end of the season and remained in Sicily due to the club failing to find a team for him.Initially kept off the first team squad, he was subsequently re-included due to an injury crisis and featured in a number of league games under head coach Devis Mangia, and then gaining a starting lineup spot under new boss Bortolo Mutti.His improved condition, together with the sale of Mauricio Pinilla to Cagliari, turned him into a starter and gave him the opportunity to play more continuously; he scored his first goal of the season on 22 January 2012, netting the 1–1 equalizer in a 5–3 home win against Genoa, that was followed by him scoring both goals in a 2–0 victory against Novara one week later.