Newcastle United winger Hatem Ben Arfa has revealed that he was in danger of losing his leg after he sustained a double fracture in October last year.
The Frenchman was hacked down by a challenge from Manchester City midfielder Nigel de Jong which left him with a horrific injury that required surgery.
After the initial operation, Ben Arfa developed an infection and said without further surgery he faced amputation.
"I needed a second operation because I had an infection," said Ben Arfa.
"It was a big infection which could have been very dangerous.
"I was told that I could have had my leg cut off if they didn't operate on me very quickly."
But Ben Arfa said the severity of his injury will make him come back a stronger man after dealing with some bad thoughts about cutting his short his playing days.
"You take a blow, that's for sure, and I started seeing myself as someone whose career was over, who no longer plays football," he added.
"That brought me closer to my friends and I started to really think about things because I wasn't in the spotlight.
"I travelled a bit and the break did me a lot of good and hopefully it stands me in good stead for the future."
