Leicester City’s James stronger than ever after serious injury

Leicester City midfielder Matty James believes he is stronger than ever after revealing the dark times that he went through during his long lay-off with injury.

After rupturing an anterior cruciate knee ligament in May 2015, the former Manchester United midfielder eventually returned for the Foxes in December 2016.

The 25-year-old joined Barnsley on loan to get game time and, after such a long period out ofaction, admitted that his return to regular first-team football was an emotional one.

“Everyone had been waiting for that moment. People that were close to me, so it was a really emotional time,” he said.

“People look at being a footballer and think it’s a high-profile lifestyle. It’s not the case at all when you’re not playing. You can be a miserable person. For me, it was a really bad stage in my life.

(Photo by Nigel Roddis/Getty Images)

“Once I played that first 90 minutes, the shackles came off and I was a football player again. It was emotional for me and my family.

“I just rolled into it and it was a great feeling.

“I didn’t know what avenue I was going to go down. Looking back on it, I think it’s made me a stronger person, a stronger player. Mentally, it’s made me stronger in every aspect of life.”