Aston Villa captain Martin Laursen has revealed he was warned he may never play again when he was struggling with his knee problems.

"The best surgeon in the world, Richard Steadman in Colorado, told me that I should be prepared not to be able to play again when he saw my knee and did the operation," he admitted to Setanta Sports.

"I was very low, obviously, but I wanted to give it a go, I wanted to try and see, and then if it then happened that I couldn't play, then I could always look myself in the mirror and say that I at least did everything I could to come back.

"I am here right now and I'm playing and, touch wood, my knee is feeling very good."