Theo Walcott was full of gratitude for the Arsenal medical staff after he made his return to competitive action on Friday.
The 25-year old winger played 45 minutes for the U21s against Blackburn Rovers in his first piece of action since suffering a serious knee injury in January and was delighted he was able to come through unscathed.
"It's been a hard, long, nine months and first I've got to say a massive thank you to all the Arsenal medical team. Without them, and my family behind me, I wouldn't have been able to do what I've done," he told Sky Sports News HQ.
"I've had so much support - messages - right from the start of the injury. It's just nice to go out there and, you know, kick a ball and enjoy doing it. It's not just a job, it's something I enjoy doing. I thoroughly missed it and I just want to get back fit. It looked very good tonight, very pleased.
"I always need to just go out there and play the best I can. I don't even think about anything like injuries or little knocks. When the adrenaline's in your system you don't even think about that, you just think about the game and that's all I did tonight, so I got through it fine."
Walcott ruled out a return to the senior line-up for Saturday's home fixture with Hull City but is expected to be back in Arsene Wenger's line-up in the coming weeks.
