Shaaban: 'I heard a crack but I didn't realise it was my leg'

Everybody at the club was shocked to hear of Rami Shaaban's injury in a Training Ground accident on Tuesday.

The Swedish goalkeeper suffered a fractured tibia and fibula in an accidental collision in a practice match. Rami underwent an operation on his right leg on Christmas Eve night and will be discharged from hospital on Monday.

The 27-year-old said: "A few players went in for the ball in a 50-50 and my leg clashed with somebody else's. It was a complete accident.

"I heard a crack but I didn't realise it was my leg, I thought it was somebody else's because it didn't hurt that much.

"I'm used to picking up bruises on my shin all the time and it felt similar to that. I was talking normally and it was quite strange. But as I was laying there it started to go numb and swell up.

"Then our physio Gary Lewin told me it was broken, although I didn't have to have any pain-killers until surgery. I had the operation that same night, at about 8pm, and it took two and half hours.

"Everybody has been very supportive at the club, the players the manager, everybody.

"I'm really grateful to all the players for their support and that only wants to make me come back even more. It is the first time I have had an injury like this but there is no use getting down about it.

"That's football, it was nobody's fault. Luckily I have had no pain and I was able to take off the plaster on Friday. They have put a pin in the leg and I've already been able to do some exercises on it. It doesn't hurt but it's swollen so I have to be very careful on it for the first two weeks.

"I think it is a similar injury to the one that Henrik Larsson had before and he came back to be top scorer, so I'm 100 per cent certain I will bounce back and come back stronger. I can't complain. I'm in a great hospital in London and they have been very helpful.

"I've heard that the club are also very good to players who are out injured, so this is an experience for me. I cannot put any weight on it for two weeks and then after that the doctors will have another look and we'll take things from there."