Georginio Wijnaldum has admitted he was "Very emotional and sad" in the aftermath of the injury that has stalled his Roma career before it had the chance to really get going.
The Dutchman only spent one campaign at Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint-Germain before quickly leaving the French capital and joining Roma on a season-long loan deal that includes an option to buy. Wijnaldum made his debut for Jose Mourinho's side last month, coming in for the final 12 minutes of their 1-0 win away at Salernitana.
Just days later, the midfielder suffered a fractured tibia in training that ensured he would face a five-month spell on the sidelines as part of his recovery. Wijnaldum opted against undergoing surgery after consulting a specialist in Switzerland.
He has since discussed the emotional toll the sorry saga has taken on him in a video uploaded to his Instagram profile.
“Since my injury I didn't respond or send a video out simply because I was really emotional and sad about the situation around my injury,” the 31-year-old explained. "First of all I want to say sorry, second I can say that now I'm in a really good space with my rehab programme. I accept the situation as it is and that is why I can now give 100 per-cent in my rehab. Everything is going well.
“I wanted to thank everyone who sent me a message during the time and who wished me well. My previous clubs and the people around me who sent a message and wished me the best, thank you for that. For the Roma fans, I really want to thank you for the support I’m getting from you guys so far.
"It gives me power to come back as quick as possible. I know it's really difficult for you guys because I just joined the club and you all had really big hopes that we would make it a really good season, but there is still time.
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"I'm doing my best to come back as quickly as possible and trying to enjoy the season with you guys. I want to thank all of you and hopefully we see each other soon again. Forza Roma!"
Italian outlet La Repubblica report that the soonest the Roma faithful can expect to see Wijnaldum back in action is in January, but that timeline is a best-case scenario. The injury has left his World Cup hopes in tatters as he faces a race against time to be fit to feature for the Netherlands in Qatar.
While he was available for the majority of last term and remained relatively injury-free, Wijnaldum only completed 90 minutes on seven occasions for PSG in the league - the last time coming as early on in the campaign as March.
