"There is no mental problem for me to overcome because the way I suffered the injury was so innocuous. It was not in a tackle, so when I go in for a challenge, I'm not thinking, oh, my leg. But if you're talking about mental attitude, Ole's the man to look to. He's an inspiration to us all. Two years ago, people were talking about arranging his testimonial and yet now he runs out on to the pitch like a 19 or 20-year-old.
"Suffering from such an injury has made me realise that every time you go out, it could be your last game. The injury to Chelsea's Petr Cech has also shown that. So that is how I approach every game now, grasp it by the hand and give it 100 per cent, not that I've ever given less.
"There was one negative for every million well wishers, that's how I look at it. I couldn't tell you how much I've had from fans all over the country, from teams you wouldn't even imagine sending me anything. I'm not overwhelmed easily but I was amazed at the reaction of supporters. I got books sent to me from Liverpool and Chelsea fans and so many replica shirts that it's a joke. One came from a Port Vale fan and yet I've got absolutely no connection to them. That means a lot to me.
"When you know that you are going to be out for a long time, it's easy to get your head round it. You've got targets, you've got your routines and fortunately for me, it came not too far from the end of the season so I had a long break to get fit.
"I've also got lots of people here who have dealt with many injuries like mine. They've got years of experience. Of course, you get frustrated because you think you're ready but deep down, you know the medical people are doing everything for your benefit and you have to be patient."