Serious leg injuries over the past couple of years will not deter Stuart Holden from working his way back to the top.
The Bolton midfielder, currently on loan with Sheffield Wednesday, had become an extremely competent Premier League player prior to a broken leg and additional knee problem and he is determined to experience that again after sitting out much of the past two seasons.
USA international Holden says he is still blessed to be a professional footballer and is planning to make the most of the opportunity he had despite his recent setbacks.
"There's no pain anymore," Holden told the NY Times. "I'm happy to say I'm 100 percent now in terms of my knee structure.
"It's now more a matter of fine tuning it. I'll always be doing my strength exercises to ensure the longevity of my knee. I feel that every game I'm getting back to where I was, and I'm getting fitter and stronger.
"I think it's just a case maintaining perspective and realizing what I have. I'm still playing football for a living. I've worked so hard to get to this point. In an ideal world I wish they didn't happen, but at the same time there's nothing I can do to change that. You can't let that consume you or get you down. It's a downward spiral from there. In that respect, I've always seen the positive in things."
