Stuart Holden has expressed his gratitude to the Bolton Wanderers Football Club for persisting with him.
The 28-year old American midfielder is again sidelined after sustaining a second torn anterior cruciate ligament when attempting to return via the reserves earlier this year.
Holden has been restricted to less than ten first team appearances in three years after also dealing with a fractured leg in 2011 but the Trotters have continued to stick by him.
The former Houston Dynamo star, who has played for the USA on 25 occasions, is back on the long road to recovery and was keen to thank Bolton and manager Dougie Freedman for the time and effort they have put into him since his 2010 arrival at the Reebok Stadium.
"I feel grateful they've stuck by me and the coach has been fantastic," the Scotland-born Holden told the Bolton News.
"We have spoken a few times and he's said that if I'm going to give this a go then they're going to be there with me.
"That gives me the confidence in my training and everything I'm doing to get healthy, knowing someone believes in me that much and I don't want to let them down.
"I want to make sure I take my time and give my knee the time it needs to fully recover and make sure that when I'm back out there playing, I'm not just 99 per cent or 100 per cent. I want to be even better than that.
"I'm fully confident I can still get through this and get back on the field, not only to play a role for my club at Bolton but for the national team as well. My contract finishes in July but credit to the club."
