Manchester City midfielder Ilkay Gundogan has admitted that he was left wondering whether he would play football again after sustaining a serious back injury two years ago.
The Germany international spent over a year on the sidelines during his time at Borussia Dortmund as a result of the problem, which required surgery to rectify.
Gundogan, who was also made to wait for his City debut this season following his £21m switch from Dortmund due to a separate injury, claims that he was "really scared" at the prospect of never kicking a ball again.
"It took me in total 14 months to recover from this," he told Sky Sports News. "It was quite a long time where I didn't want to have surgery too early, because surgery of the spine, for a footballer especially, is not easy, and of course it is dangerous. I was really scared, and I didn't know if I was ever able to play football again.
"It was quiet difficult, tough, but with the support of my family, friends, and my former team, it was possible to handle it. I never lost my focus, I always tried to join the team, and in the end we decided to have the surgery.
"I found a really nice doctor, who made me feel very comfortable, and it was the right decision in the end. After three months of rehab I was back in professional football. Sometimes life is really strange."
Gundogan spent five years in Dortmund's senior ranks before calling time on his Bundesliga career at the end of last season to start his Premier League adventure with the Citizens.
Daniel Lewis
