Everton midfielder Mikel Arteta has vowed to return from knee surgery stronger than before.
He told evertonTV: "I have to stay positive. I've got some great things to think about. I've got a baby coming and I've got a target of coming back even stronger if I can.
"It is very hard to take for me but these things happen sometimes and it's difficult to understand, but maybe God challenges us to see if we are strong enough to deal with these things. So I'm positive and I'm going to work 24/7 to get back as quick as I can."
Arteta is keen for his teammates to finish the season on a high.
"There's nothing I can do now," he admitted. "I've tried to do my best on the pitch, the team have been playing really well. All I want now is for all the players and the fans to stay positive because we've still got really things to happen this season.
"We've got the FA Cup, which I really believe we have a big chance to achieve something important. Then we have the league and let's see if we can finish it off.
"They've been fantastic team mates, I'm going to miss being around here (when I have the operation). But at the moment I need to be on my own and do what I need to do and get back as soon as I can."