There was a time when Freddie Bouma feared he would never play professional football again, explains Villa correspondent Brendan McLoughlin.

The Villa defender prefers not to dwell on the horror ankle dislocation suffered in the July Intertoto Cup clash with Odense which stopped his season in its tracks. It is easy to understand why.

Images of the injury evoked memories of the similarly shocking one suffered just months before by Arsenal forward Eduardo, while many of the players present were left visibly distressed.

Within two days the club announced they expected him to make a full recovery, suggesting Bouma, 29, could even be back by the end of the year.

But the left-back admits he initially found it impossible to share their optimism.

The long road to recovery has made for what he describes as the toughest spell of his career but, after two 90-minute run-outs for the reserves, a first-team return is within sight.

He said: “Has it been the hardest period in my career? Yes, there’s no doubt about it.

“The longest I had been out before was three-and-a-half months but then you always knew that you would be playing again.

“This time there were some doubts in my head in the beginning. With an injury like this you never know, but the doctor and physios told me it will be OK again.”

Yet even during the darkest days of his recovery Bouma retained a refreshing sense of perspective.

He said: “I told myself there are much worse things in the world than Freddie’s ankle.

“Some other players who have had injuries like this have come back as well so my goal was to play again because this is the best thing for me – playing football. I was prepared to do anything to come back.

“It’s about how you can cope with the pain. If the pain is within the limit then you can push yourself on.”

Crucial to his rehabilitation, according to Bouma, has been the support he has received from all sections of the club – players, fans and the manager, who awarded him a two-year deal with the option of a third year within weeks of the injury.

He said: “I never really felt out of the team, because I was with the boys everyday.

“The supporters are wonderful. They have chanted my name a lot in the reserve games and during my rehab. It helps you as a player the club and manager have confidence in you.

“Just hours after I had opened my eyes from the operation the manager was there, he talked to me and told me the injury wouldn’t change anything because the deal was there.

“That helped me straightaway.”

O’Neill has already indicated the defender has a part to play in the end-of-season run-in and his return could not come at a better time after the claret and blues’ defence was in disarray in the5-0 thrashing by Liverpool.

With another 10 days before the trip to Manchester United, Bouma hopes the progress he has been making in the reserves will provide proof he is ready to return.