Hull City midfielder Ryan Mason has released his first statement after his horrific head injury at Chelsea nine days ago.
The 25-year-old suffered a fractured skull in a collision with Blues defender Gary Cahill just 13 minutes into their encounter at Stamford Bridge, spending eight days at a London hospital before being discharged yesterday.
In a statement on Twitter, Mason wrote: "I would like to thank everyone for the overwhelming support that has been shown to both me & my entire family over the past week or so.
"It has been an emotional rollercoaster and I feel lucky to be alive, but I'm happy to say that I'm now at home resting and recovering.
"My fiance and family have read so many messages of support to me over the past week. To have had so many people send messages to me, including from fellow players, clubs (in particular the support shown to me from both Hull City and Tottenham Hotspur), so many fans as well as the support I have received from the general public around the world has been completely overwhelming. Each and every message of support really has given me strength and I cannot tell you how much it means to me.
"The love and support my Mum, Dad, sisters, fiance Rachel and all of my friends and family have shown to me during what has been an incredibly traumatic time for all involved has been incredible and I want to thank them from the bottom of my heart for being there for me throughout.
"Finally, I would like to say a special thank you too to all of the medical staff at Hull, as well as the medical team at Chelsea and of course the fantastic treatment and support I have received from all of the staff during my stay at St. Mary's hospital.
"I will now be taking each day as it comes and concentrating on my recovery."
No timeframe has yet been given for Mason's potential return to the pitch.
Neil Wilkes
