Tottenham Hotspur centre-back Toby Alderweireld has told the London Evening Standard he had no idea when he would return from a "one in a million" injury problem.
Alderweireld was stretched off in Spurs' 1-1 draw at West Brom on Oct. 15 after an innocuous-looking clash with teammate Jan Vertonghen and he made his first start in two months in Sunday's 1-0 defeat at Manchester United.
Mauricio Pochettino initially suggested that the Belgium international would make a speedy recovery, after scans showed no ligament damage, but the Spurs manager took to delaying his return on an almost weekly basis.
"It was an unusual injury, one in a million. It almost never happens in football," Alderweireld said. "I got a hard knock on the nerve on the right side of my knee, so the nerve was shut down. All of my leg was shut down.
"When that happens, it takes a long time to 'restart' the nerve again, so it wasn't an injury you could put a time limit on. If you pull a hamstring, you will probably be out for four-to-six weeks. With a nerve, you don't know.
"My leg didn't work and I had to start all over again. The nature of the problem also meant that for a while, my foot didn't work properly, so I had do as much recovery work as possible without using my foot.
"I could walk, but not as I normally would, because it was difficult to lift up my foot. It was difficult for the medical staff to put a time on my recovery because we didn't know. It could have been two weeks, six weeks, maybe three months more.
"We just had to do everything we could to stimulate the nerve and ensure I could come back as quickly as possible. It was very frustrating, but I had to use the frustration to work as hard as possible and be ready to come back."
Alderweireld, who missed just one minute of Premier League football last season, played the full match at Old Trafford and he said he feels better than before his injury, as Spurs prepare for home games against Hull City and Burnley this week.
"I knew that when the nerve started working normally again, I had to be able to play as quickly as possible, and that was my motivation. I feel fit, even better than I did, and I'm hungry to help the team," he added.
"It felt good to be back on the pitch against CSKA Moscow and Manchester United. I worked hard for it. Sometimes these things can happen but now I think I am 100 percent."
The defender also insisted he is happy at Tottenham after the club opened talks with the 27-year-old over a new and improved contract.
"I signed for Tottenham for a reason and I love to play here," he said. "I see no problem there. Whatever has been written, I am only focusing on football because that is what I love to do."