West Ham United forward Andre Ayew says his season only ticked-in in January this year.
The 27-year-old endured a frustrating injury spell on his debut in October last year against Chelsea.
The Ghana international is beginning to find his feet once again for the Hammers and says his season only started at the Africa Cup of Nations in Gabon.
“After I joined West Ham, I was injured for a long time and then I went to the African Nations Cup. So, my season only started properly there,” Ayew said, as reported by The Sun.
“A lot of people underestimated the injury, which was a very difficult one. I had to take a decision whether to have an operation or not.
“There was a lot of hard work and when I came back I still had pain. But I played through it and I never complained.
“When the criticism came I stayed calm because I knew I was not 100 per cent. But I had to go through that to get back.
“It is the worst I’ve had in my career but it made me stronger, tougher.”