Tuesday 13 October 2015 11:22, UK
Arsenal and England striker Danny Welbeck hopes to be back in action early in the New Year.
Welbeck is yet to play this season and had surgery in September to correct a knee problem that he sustained towards the end of the 2014-15 campaign.
The 24-year-old visited Arsenal's Soccer School in Dubai on Monday and revealed his frustration at being on the sidelines for so long as well as providing an update on his recovery.
Welbeck told The National: "It's difficult to put an exact date on it, around the New Year. After I had the operation I was in a leg brace for about four weeks, which wasn't easy. I had to do a lot of machine work, about six hours a day.
"Sleeping in a leg brace isn't good. At night it's not comfortable; it was the first time I slept on my back in years. It's good to finally be out of the brace now and walking.
"It feels like I'm getting that little bit closer to getting back out on the pitch."
"It's frustrating being on the sidelines and watching in - you feel kind of helpless. But you just have to keep motivated.
"The appetite's there, you just want to get back out on the pitch and show what you can do. So it's difficult but you've got to see the positive side of things at times.
"Obviously there's some days when you just want to be back out there playing, but it's a process and something that I've learnt to deal with in time."
