Ole on the comeback trail:
"I have no pain with the light jogging but I still have to force some discomfort through the knee to stimulate it. I could have gone 12 months without feeling anything but then when I started playing again it would have been sore.
“So you have to force a little bit of pain because that is the nature of this injury. The transplant is maturing and now for the next two or three months it needs stimulation forced through it gradually. The light jogging has been the next step, but I am not jumping or sprinting yet. The next step will be to run 100 metres. But when that happens you don't know. There is no specific timescale. You are governed by how it reacts each day. It is a slow process and you have to be very patient.
"I was in bed for 10-12 weeks moving my leg in a machine after the op. In the last four months I have done lots of bike work and swimming, weights, and so on. The next step is to run properly. You have to see how it feels. You take it day by day. If yesterday was OK you take it on a little bit the next day.
“If yesterday wasn't so good then you hold back and maybe wait. The positive thing about being injured is being injured at Manchester United. They really look after you. I am still quite a bit away from any training with the team but that is the amount of time it takes after this operation. It will take a long, long time and lots of games for a player who hasn't played for so long. I know there will be many games with under-par performances. But it will then get easier and easier until one day you score a goal again! The dream will be reality again. It's something to look forward to next season.
"There has never been a question of me getting depressed about all this. It would take a lot more to bring me down. I have close friends and family who have it a lot worse than me, so this is just a part of a football career.
“Every player has injuries and maybe mine has lasted longer than most, but it is not life threatening. I am working for my career and if you let yourself become depressed it will only drag you down. I am 100 per cent sure I will play again but what level will I get to? When do I get there? It will take time and it will be hard work. I'd like to play football but you can't let it all frustrate you, because that would make it worse. I will be back playing. It is all about patience. I have no problem being positive. The easy part is getting to 80 per cent, the hard bit is getting to 100 per cent and playing against teams such as Arsenal and Milan. But I watch reserve matches now and I think it would be great just playing in these. I am looking forward to it."
More in the MEN:
"Most of the training for me is mental training now. I picture myself playing again without pain. I have had pain since September 2003. You don't easily forget pain and I can't remember running without pain now. I go to bed so many times visualising myself playing football again.
“That is something you have to dream about. I dream about scoring goals again for United. The realistic target is to get back playing again but you never know if you will get back to the previous level again. I think I will, but you never know. I never think about not being good enough to play again. I just think and dream about playing again. When I signed my contract three-and-a-half years ago I was thinking that I would be 33 in 2006 when it expired.
“I thought that maybe that would be it for me at United. I'd have been at Old Trafford for 10 years and I would have been happy. But I have been out for two years now and I am quite positive this will prolong my career. I've seen the likes of Wayne Rooney arrive at the club, new players I have not played with. I haven't had many games with Cristiano Ronaldo and I want to be in a United team with those kind of players. I hope I play at United until I am not able to play again. Everyone wants that. We will have to wait and see."