Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany is not ready to give up on his battle to play football after a series of injuries have plagued his career in recent seasons.
Kompany made his first appearance in more than two months in Saturday's 3-0 FA Cup fourth-round victory over Crystal Palace, which was also the first time he had completed a full match this season.
The 30-year-old has suffered from muscle injuries for the past two-and-a-half seasons and was forced to miss last summer's European Championship with Belgium.
But he has vowed to brush off the setbacks and says he still has plenty to offer City with a busy fixture schedule coming up in the Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup.
"I want to play but at the same time I'm a fighter. I will not give up -- it's impossible for me," he was quoted in the Manchester Evening News as telling reporters.
"I've always been confident I can come back and do a job. Most players have six weeks of preseason and loads of games against lesser opposition but I've not had any of that.
"All of these games are my first games, but I know I have to deal with it, know I've to handle it, know I've not got the time to say to the guys: 'Hold on, I know in three or four games my performances will be better.'
"Experience helps a lot and I'm always confident I can do a job.
"I've had it since I was 14 years old but still built this career that I've built. I won't stop and I know I keep fighting even for one game, so I can experience these moments.
"The moment I give up on that, I can guarantee one thing, that I will never set foot on a football pitch again and it's just not an option.
"I keep going and if I felt that in training these guys were a little too much for me I'd hold my hand up and say, 'This was a little too much for me.' But at the moment I'm with the best in training so there's no reason to stop."
The games are coming quickly for Kompany with West Ham United on Wednesday night and Swansea City on Sunday and the defender insists he is ready if for Guardiola needs him.
"Of course -- mentally I am," he added. "I just trust myself and all the situations I've seen over the past 13 years.
"There are very few moves that players will do that I haven't seen, dealt or thought about before. The only thing is whether the body goes where you want to go.
"That's not been a problem and I knew from training. If you get through training at City, then you're alright for most of the games."