Jamilu Collins has opened up on the agonising road to recovery from his anterior cruciate ligament injury, likening his treatment to getting 'a new knee'.
The defender signed for Cardiff City from Paderborn in the summer, but has spent the last nine months or so on the sidelines after going down in the 0-0 draw with West Bromwich Albion back in August.
Steve Morison, Bluebirds boss at the time, confirmed the Nigerian would miss the rest of the season, and it seems he's still unlikely to play any further part in the current campaign, despite making progress in his recovery over the last few months.
It's been a tough experience for the 28-year-old, who claims he'd never previously suffered an injury in his career.
Speaking on his struggles for the first time, he told thenff.com: “I have never suffered any injury since I started playing football professionally and to go through a whole nine months without football was a torrid period for me.
“The ACL injury experience was terrible and when treatment started it was like I got a new knee."
Collins has won 25 caps for Nigeria, and was part of the squad that finished second at the Africa Cup of Nations in 2019. He says he's full of gratitude for the level of support shown from the Super Eagles,
“I want to appreciate the new NFF President, Alhaji Ibrahim Gusau; the General Secretary, Dr. Sanusi; Coach Jose Peseiro, Super Eagles’ Team Administrator Dayo Enebi Achor and; my Super Eagles’ team mates for reaching out and showing me love during this period. It all mattered so much to me and I’m grateful."
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