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I've been practicing for a while now and physically trying to get in better shape as well after the injuries.

In the sports arena I would say there is nothing like training and preparation. You have to train your mind as much as your body.

During the off-season, I try to increase my practice sessions, and I am also training with my coaches.

To combat the monotony of gym workouts, I started playing soccer. I looked at workouts as training sessions. My soccer training includes squats, pushups, resistance-band work, and sprints. Ninety minutes of running became part of my love of the game rather than a chore.

There are the medical dangers of football in general caused by head trauma over repetitive hits.

I never want to let my teammates or coaches down, so I always fight through the days when I am exhausted or experiencing discomfort with injuries and headaches.

At Norwich, I was injured, and then I went to Leicester, and I found myself on the bench. But I still used that to my advantage as an experience - I had to do that here at Spurs for a while, be on the bench and wait for my chance. It's definitely something that's helped me with my game.

As a player, I was fortunate to work with coaching and medical staffs that underscored the importance of utilizing injury prevention exercises, which contributed to my healthy and long playing career.

I never had a serious injury that kept me out of a big competition. Now everyone has injuries - to their feet or their knees or their backs.

Football management is such a pressurised thing - horseracing is a release. I'm also learning to play the piano - I'm quite determined - it's another release from the pressure of my job.