Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Victor Wanyama has revealed that the injury which kept him sidelined for the first period of the season was the "lowest" point of his career.
Wanyama, who suffered a knee injury in pre-season, has since returned to the Spurs fray but is yet to make a start under Mauricio Pochettino, who has chosen to ease the Kenyan back into action.
The midfielder has highlighted missing Tottenham's impressive Champions League group stage campaign, in which the club defeated current holders Real Madrid and German side Borussia Dortmund at Wembley, as a low point during his absence from the side.
"Being injured as a footballer teaches you many things about yourself but nothing more so than if you have your health then you have your wealth," the 26-year-old told the Daily Mail. "Money and all the trappings of being a footballer mean nothing unless you have your health and fitness.
"This has been a dark time for me. When Tottenham played Real Madrid at Wembley and I had to watch - I wanted to play so badly, it was probably the lowest point of my career.
"I started the season coming on against Newcastle then I played a full game against Chelsea but it hadn't settled as I hoped. It wasn't an easy process but Mauricio Pochettino said to me: 'We don't want you to repeat this injury, be patient, we want you to recover properly, no risks'."
Spurs play Wanyama's former club Southampton in the Premier League on Sunday as the Kenyan makes a return to St Mary's.
Jonny Whitfield
