James Feeling 'Stronger' After Injury Lay-Off
- Matty James sat down with LCFC TV last month to discuss his long road to recovery from injury
- The Leicester City midfielder suffered ruptured anterior ligaments for the Foxes back in May 2015
- James enjoyed a highly-profitable loan spell at Sky Bet Championship outfit Barnsley this term
- The 25-year-old says he is working hard to return to First Team action for the Foxes next season
Leicester City midfielder Matty James says he feels "stronger in every aspect of life" after overcoming a serious injury while on loan at Barnsley.
James, 25, suffered ruptured anterior ligaments during a 2-0 Premier League success over Southampton in May 2015 before eventually returning from the bench in the latter moments of the 4-2 defeat of Manchester City last December.
Prior to that cameo appearance at King Power Stadium, the former Manchester United midfielder had featured sparingly for the Club's Development Squad before joining Barnsley on loan in January, making 18 appearances and scoring one goal.
James: It's Been A Long Road To Recovery
Matty James sat down with LCFC TV after a successful loan spell at Barnsley, revealing how he is raring to go when the Foxes return for pre-season...
Speaking to LCFC TV upon his return to City's Belvoir Drive training complex last month, James revealed that he now feels ready, physically and mentally, to return to First Team action following a two-year battle to regain full fitness.
“It was a tough time when I went out on loan for me personally,” he said. “I needed to go out and play games. I probably didn’t expect to play as many games but, once I got back into the swing of things, it was like I had never been injured.
"I just rolled into it and it was a great feeling. It was emotional. I was feeling that I might never play football again in the past. I didn’t think I was going to get back to the level that I could get back to.
"Once I played that first 90 minutes, the shackles came off and I was a football player again. It was emotional for me and my family.
“Everyone had been waiting for that moment, people that were close to me, so it was a really emotional time. It was more about playing the next game and then the next one, the next one, the next one.
"People look at being a footballer and think it’s a high-profile lifestyle. It’s not the case at all when you’re not playing. You can be a miserable person. For me it was a really bad stage in my life.
"I didn’t know what avenue I was going to go down. Looking back on it, I think it’s made me a stronger person, a stronger player. Mentally, it’s made me stronger in every aspect of life.”
Looking ahead to his chances of breaking back into the Foxes line-up next season, James added: “It’s a big summer. The last two summers, I’ve not been able to do much. This time I feel fully-fit.
"Hopefully I can have a bit of time off my feet then come back and work hard to make sure I come back as a fit as I can be on the first day of pre-season.”