Rob Atkinson admitted a serious illness after the 3-2 victory over Peterborough in October had a huge impact on his form and fitness leading to him putting on weight which carried an extra burden on his body.
The £1.6million summer signing from Oxford seemingly had no issues making the step up from the National League to League One and then the Championship within two years having started the campaign brightly.
Atkinson, 23, played the full 90 minutes in the first 11 league matches of the season before his run in the side was halted after the Posh win having missed the following game against Bournemouth after the international break.
