Danny Rose has opened up about the struggles he experienced during his time he spent on the sidelines with a knee injury.
The Tottenham left-back missed nine months of action after hurting his knee in January, but he managed to play 90 minutes in the 1-0 win over Crystal Palace on Sunday.
“It was just great to be back out there with the team,” Rose told talkSPORT. “I’ve watched a lot of games of TV over the last nine months and it was just great to be back out there.
“I was impressed, jealous, angry [watching Spurs from afar]. I’ve been through a whole load of emotions over the past nine months, not just this season.
“This injury has been one of the most difficult periods of my life, but you’ve got to think of the positives in any situation so I just hope I can stay fit and pick up where I left off last season.
“It was only probably two months ago that I was doing some rehab here [at St George’s Park] and I lost my appetite for wanting to get back fit, because I didn’t think it was ever going to happen.
“I needed a break from the club, it was stressful for me there – seeing the same faces every day, the same four walls, the same gym – I lost my appetite and it was really difficult.
“But I came here, worked, went back and started training again and once I started training again I was back at it, I fell in love with football again.
“Watching us, Tottenham, beat Dortmund at Wembley and having the whole Real Madrid trip to look forward to, you know it brought my appetite and hunger back for football.
“I’ve been itching to get going for the past couple of weeks and I’m just grateful I’m back amongst it now. I feel as if I’m in a good place. I’ve had a taste of my first 90 minutes in the Premier League and I just can’t wait to keep that going.”
