Jlloyd – Had To Fight For Career

Blinking eck, Jlloyd Samuel hasn’t ‘just’ been recovering from an injury, he has been fighting for his career.

The left-back was worried he’d never play again after he burst a vessel in his thigh.

Having returned to full fitness, he told the official site:

‘When I didn’t reach my first target, the physios looked into it. I then remember the doctor saying that he had never seen anything like it. At that stage, all I was thinking was: ‘Will I ever get fit again? Will I ever play? It certainly crossed my mind that I might not. It was a torn thigh muscle but I had busted a vein. I had a haematoma drained twice, but it kept filling up with blood. After six weeks of that, all I could ask myself was: ‘What is going on?’ I was at ‘square one’ all the time.’

Adding ‘I tried to stay positive, but all the time the physios couldn’t give me a date when I could step things up. Looking back I think I was fortunate in that it could have been worse. But it was a totally strange position to be in because I had not been injured really in my career before. It took 11 or 12 weeks in the end for an injury that was initially going to be no more than two. To think I played on with it against Reading for some time. I thought it was just a kick. The adrenalin just takes over.’

Martin O’Neill has recently said he is watching the player to assess whether to offer him a new contract: Jlloyd Samuel Needs To Prove Worth and Jlloyd says he would like to stay despite the fact he can talk to other clubs in January as his contract ends next summer.

He told the Birmingham Mail: ‘The contract thing has not crossed my mind, to be honest. I’m not worried by how long I have left. The only thing that has been on my mind over the last few months has been playing again.’

‘I have not spoken to him (MON) yet, but I will look forward to it. But any contract has to be right for me and my family. I’ve been here for eight or nine years now – exactly the same as Gareth Barry. I’ve seen a lot of changes in that time, that’s for sure. I would like to stay. But we will have to wait and see.’