Kevin Sinfield says Sunday’s inaugural Rob Burrow Leeds Marathon is as much  “a celebration of friendship” as it is a vital charity fundraiser.

Sinfield has raised over £8million for motor neurone disease charities since friend and former Leeds Rhinos team-mate Burrow was diagnosed with the condition in late 2019.

Sunday’s event, plus the Leeds Half Marathon which will also take place on Sunday, is being held by Leeds City Council in partnership with Jane Tomlinson’s Run For All charity and has already surpassed the £1m mark.

Sinfield told the PA news agency: “To raise money for the MND Association and the Leeds Hospitals Charity is really important, but this is also about a celebration of friendship.

“We get the chance to do it together with 12,500 people and hopefully people will come out and see us and say hello out on the streets supporting. I think it’s a wonderful thing for Leeds.

“The Council have been fantastic, Run For All have been brilliant and I’m sure it will be an incredible day on Sunday.”

Event organisers have been inspired to stage the city’s first marathon in 20 years by Sinfield’s previous running challenges.

The 42-year-old, who will be pushing Burrow around Sunday’s course in a specially-adapted wheelchair, completed his Ultra 7 in 7 Challenge in November when he ran seven back-to-back ultra-marathons, running around 40 miles each day.

In late 2020, Sinfield ran seven marathons in seven days and in 2021 he completed a run of 101 miles in 24 hours.

“I’ve always ran in a team with the challenges that I’ve done, this is just a bigger team this time, so the money and the awareness we can raise for a whole host of different charities will be brilliant,” Sinfield, now on the England rugby union coach staff, said.

“I’m really looking forward to it now. I can’t wait to get out there on Sunday. The support has been incredible.

“To have 12,500 people running in Rob’s name, all for different charities and causes, I think is wonderful and I know how proud Rob is of it and we’ll have a good day on Sunday.”

Burrow’s wife Lindsey is hoping to complete her first full marathon, despite carrying a knee injury.

She told the PA news agency: “We’re unbelievably proud and we just want to say a massive thank you to all the amazing runners and everyone who has supported Rob and to the crowd who support on the day as well.

“They will play a massive part of getting the runners through the event, so it’s a huge heart-felt thank you to them and we hope they enjoy the occasion.”

Sinfield and Burrow will be joined by former Rhinos team-mates, including Gary Mercer, Barrie McDermott, Matt Diskin, Jamie Jones-Buchanan and Luke Burgess, plus triathlete Jonny Brownlee and boxer Josh Warrington along various parts of the route.

The marathon aims to drive awareness and funds for the Leeds Hospitals Charity appeal to build the Rob Burrow Centre for MND here in Leeds, as well as the MND Association.

Hibernian veteran Lewis Stevenson is adamant he remains as fit, strong and sharp as he was during his 20s.

The 35-year-old – a one-club man who sits fourth on the Hibees’ all-time appearance list – this week signed a one-year contract extension keeping him at Easter Road for yet another season.

Stevenson acknowledges he is nearing the end of his career but the marauding wing-back has no plans to take his foot off the gas and is fully focused on continuing to improve aspects of his game under boss Lee Johnson.

“The manager has spoken to me quite honestly about the things he needs me to improve on, and that’s what you need,” he said. “He’s not asking me to be a different player, it’s just little tweaks in my game, and I’ve been trying to do that.

“Even at my age, you can still learn things. I’ve learned from every single manager I’ve had here. I’m maybe a slightly different player now but I do feel I’m as good a player as I was 10 years ago.

“Niggles-wise, I feel as good as I ever have. About eight years ago, I was playing with Achilles problems, groin problems, calf problems but I honestly don’t really have those problems anymore.

“I’m sure there are things I could have done 10 years ago that I can’t do now but vice-versa I think I know the game a lot better now and there are things I’ve improved.

“I feel good just now but I understand it could hit me like a tonne of bricks at some point so we’ll see how long I keep going.”

Stevenson, who made his debut in 2005, feared his long Hibs career was drifting to an end when he found himself playing second fiddle to Marijan Cabraja in the early months of Johnson’s reign, but the veteran has firmly re-established himself as a regular starter since the World Cup break.

“There were times this season, even quite recently, when I thought it might have been the end of my time here,” he said when asked about his new deal. “But I’ve managed to bite down on the gum shield and grind out for another year.

“It’s helped that the team has picked up recently and the manager has showed his faith in me by playing me in recent games when the team has been doing well.”

Stevenson has faced stiff competition from the likes of Josh Doig and Cabraja in recent seasons and he knows there will come a time when Hibs have to cut him loose, but he still feels he has the hunger and ability to make a positive impact.

“It has happened at times, even this season it was probably looking bleak for my future,” he said of losing the left-back jersey to other players. “But things can change.

“I’ve said before that the club needs to evolve, I understand that. But I’ve got a role in the squad, and whether it’s playing or supporting the person playing in front of me, I’ll do that.

“It’s a privilege to be here and I don’t take that for granted. I’m still wanting success and I still feel pretty good and I think I can keep going a bit longer.”

Sale Sharks boss Alex Sanderson expects reigning Gallagher Premiership champions Leicester to have “steam coming out of the ears” in Sunday’s play-off clash.

Sale have not reached English rugby’s domestic showpiece final since 2006, when Jason Robinson was captain and fly-half Charlie Hodgson scored 23 points in a 45-20 demolition of the Tigers at Twickenham.

Leicester, though, are regular visitors. In the 17 years since Sale were last there, Tigers can reflect on eight appearances and five title triumphs.

But they will arrive at the AJ Bell Stadium as outsiders, having finished 10 points behind Sale during the regular Premiership season and conceding 40 points on their last league trip to Greater Manchester in December.

“I dare say they are going to be frothing at the mouth, steam coming out of the ears, fire and brimstone,” Sanderson said.

“We’ve beaten them twice (this season), and I have heard that they want to play us. If someone had beaten me twice, I would want to play them.”

Current Leicester head coach Richard Wigglesworth was the Sale scrum-half against Tigers in the 2006 final, and he is now tasked with plotting Sharks’ downfall.

“I consider him a good friend,” Sanderson added. “There is probably no-one in the Premiership who knows me better or who I know better.

“What I am going after in his team, he is probably going after in ours.”

Sale welcome back the likes of Tom Curry and Nick Schonert, but Leicester wing Chris Ashton, who avoided a ban when he appeared before disciplinary chiefs on Thursday after being sent off last weekend, has not made Tigers’ matchday 23, with four changes seeing Freddie Steward, Anthony Watson, Matt Scott and George Martin all starting.

Wigglesworth said: “Their home record is impressive – it has been a big talking point out of the club all season.

“What they want to do in the north for the game and to have only lost a couple of games in all competitions at the AJ Bell is something that they take great pride in.

“It hasn’t been a happy hunting ground for us for a long time, having not won there in more than five years.

“Being the away side in a semi-final is tough enough, but it is a challenge we are looking forward to taking on.”

Saracens are aiming for a fifth Premiership crown during the past nine seasons, and they host Northampton on Saturday.

Mark McCall’s men were beaten by Leicester in the final a year ago, edged out 15-12 by Freddie Burns’ drop-goal during the dying seconds.

“It is tough to lose any final,” Saracens and England fly-half Owen Farrell said.

“We felt like we didn’t put the best of us out on that day, and that is a credit to Leicester and what they did.

“It is up to us to make the most of it. We are excited for the semi-final.”

England international Elliot Daly will continue his comeback from injury on the Saracens’ bench, while wing James Ramm returns for Northampton and Courtney Lawes makes a Saints-record 165th Premiership start.

Northampton head coach Sam Vesty said: “They are a very good team, and it will take us playing well and playing well for long periods of time.

“I think if we do that we will win, and if we don’t or only play well in patches, then it will be tough as they are a very strong outfit.”

England seamer James Anderson was a conspicuous absentee on the second morning of Lancashire’s LV= Insurance County Championship clash with Somerset, receiving treatment for a “minor issue”.

Anderson was in outstanding form on the opening day at Emirates Old Trafford, taking two for 16 from 14 metronomic overs, but left the field shortly before rain brought an early end to proceedings.

He did not emerge with his team-mates on Friday, with Lancashire confirming he was experiencing an undisclosed complaint.

A spokesperson said: “Jimmy is off the field with a minor issue, which is currently being assessed.”

Anderson, 40, is integral to England’s Ashes plans this summer, with bowling stocks already hit by fresh injuries to pace pair Jofra Archer and Olly Stone.

Archer has returned early from the Indian Premier League due to discomfort in his troublesome right elbow, while Stone faces several weeks on the sidelines after injuring his hamstring on duty for Nottinghamshire last week.

Anderson managed just four overs in the last home series against Australia, ruled out with a calf problem on the opening morning.

England begin their Test summer against Ireland at Lord’s, a four-day match starting on June 1, before the Ashes opener at Edgbaston on June 16.

Unai Emery says Aston Villa are determined to grasp the possible “last opportunity” of European football next season.

Villa have slipped to eighth in the Premier League after back-to-back away defeats to Manchester United and Wolves, eight points behind fifth-placed Liverpool with three games remaining.

But overtaking sixth-placed Tottenham remains very much a target, and that would happen as early as Saturday if Villa could beat them at home by three goals.

Boss Emery said: “We’re three points behind Tottenham, everybody wants to enjoy this moment and play this match with the supporters.

“The last two matches against Manchester and Wolves we lost, but it’s not changed our good moments we are taking at home with our supporters.

“We deserve this opportunity because the last five matches we won at home and those 15 points have helped us be here.

“We have to be positive, to be happy and very focused because it could be the last opportunity.

“Or maybe it could be a very good opportunity to keep playing key matches, where me as a coach and the players can improve and build and take challenges in the new direction.

“We are playing for one place in Europe and playing against teams like Tottenham, Liverpool and Brighton.

“They are different teams but they’re amongst the biggest teams in the Premier League this year.”

Emery took charge at the start of November with Villa in free fall.

They had won only two of their first 11 league games under Steven Gerrard before his sacking.

Emery brought in defender Alex Moreno and striker Jhon Duran during the January transfer window, but the Spaniard has largely been working with players who served under Gerrard and he is likely to strengthen the squad this summer.

“The club is working to try to build and create a great way for the progression and the next years,” said Emery.

“Of course, we are trying to use my experiences as well to build with the players we have now and the work we’re doing here.

“The club will work thinking about the next year, but we have to be focused 100 per cent on the next match because the football is now.”

Villa have rattled off five home wins – against Crystal Palace, Bournemouth, Nottingham Forest, Newcastle and Fulham – since losing to Arsenal on February 18.

Emery said: “We were very successful away and were competitive. We started to have some doubts at home before the last five matches we won.

“And now it’s exactly different. At home we’re feeling very strong and competitive and we’re winning difficult matches and playing very well.

“Away in the last three matches we haven’t been playing like we have been doing. That is one issue I’m working on and analysing with the players.

“Overall we are making very good progress individually and collectively as a team.”

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp admits his side “were around when miracles happened”, but accepts their destiny is not in their hands this time when it comes to Champions League qualification.

A month ago the club were in eighth, 10 points adrift of fourth-placed Manchester United, but six successive victories have propelled them to fifth and only a point behind their rivals, who have a match in hand.

It was suggested to Klopp his squad have performed remarkable comebacks before, not least when overturning a 3-0 first-leg deficit to beat Barcelona in the semi-finals of the Champions League they won in 2019.

They also came from a seemingly impossible position in the Premier League in 2021 when they they made a late run into the top four, registering eight wins and two draws in their final 10 matches – which included goalkeeper Alisson Becker scoring a 90th-minute winner at West Brom – having been completely out of the running in March.

“It is not that we mention it but everyone who was involved in these moments will never forget it in our entire lives,” said Klopp.

“That means it is part of us and, you are right, we were around when miracles happened, that is true, but it was then still in our hands.

“We had to score against West Brom and we had to win against Barcelona. Now we have to win but that does not mean anything changes because the other teams could win all their games.

“I knew weeks ago it was completely out of sight, I couldn’t see it at all, but that did not mean we would not try to get closer. That’s the only thing we did, we got closer.”

Klopp recalls Liverpool being in the position of the team being chased in his second full season in 2017-18, and he knows it is not easy for the clubs in possession of the qualification places.

However, he does not believe their recent run, coupled with recent defeats for third-placed Newcastle and United, has been able to exert that much pressure on their top-four rivals.

“I am pretty sure we were in a situation like that years ago. I think Chelsea was winning all the time behind us so we had to win all the games,” he said.

“It’s not comfortable but in the end we made it anyway. Newcastle and United would be happy if we would not be there any more, but still it is more likely they will do it.

“I respect that. If they finish the season above us, they deserve it and that’s how I see it.”

Forward Roberto Firmino is set to return to training next week ahead of what could be his final Anfield appearance.

The Brazil international is leaving when his contract expires at the end of the season but has missed the last five matches with a muscle problem.

With Liverpool having only one more home game, against Aston Villa next Saturday, there was a chance the 31-year-old would not get to say his goodbyes on the pitch.

But Klopp raised hopes Firmino could be in his squad for an emotional send-off.

“I saw Bobby in training yesterday and it looks like pretty much he is nearly there, but I don’t think he will be in for the weekend,” said the Reds manager.

“If I go out of here and he will be in the session, I would be surprised.

“I assume that we start with him team training-wise after the Leicester game.”

Eddie Howe is confident his Newcastle players will not be daunted by the challenge of securing Champions League qualification as the season draws to a close.

The Magpies have four games in which to cement a top-four Premier League finish as they, Manchester United, Liverpool, Brighton and outsiders Tottenham jockey for position behind top two Manchester City and Arsenal.

A 2-0 home defeat by the Gunners last weekend may have dented their charge and prompted hopes among the chasing pack of a late-season wobble, but head coach Howe was having none of it.

Asked if the air around the training ground was a little heavier as a result of what is at stake in Saturday’s trip to relegation-threatened Leeds, he said: “The air should be lighter, not heavier.

“We’re excited, that has to be our emotion. We’re looking forward to the challenges ahead, we’re not in any way, I don’t feel, daunted by it.

“In sport, sometimes the more you think the more you damage yourselves, so play the game. These players have played all their lives and played because they enjoy it, so let’s strip away everything and let’s just perform well in our next game.”

Newcastle head into the latest round of fixtures sitting in third place and knowing two more wins would almost certainly secure a place in European club football’s biggest competition next season – which would represent a significant upgrade on their target when they set out in August.

Howe admitted: “The aim was to not be in another relegation battle, try to stay clear of that and then build a lot of aspects of the team and play to be successful and sustain that success long-term.

“Things have snowballed, now we sit where we do and we’ve done incredibly well.”

In the process, the Magpies have found themselves thrust into the limelight with opposition managers having taken aim at both their game-management and physicality.

Asked if he felt they had people rattled, Howe said: “We hope to be a nuisance for all teams. We don’t want to be nice to play against.”

Howe’s players will need to bring all that to bear at Elland Road, where Leeds are engaged in a desperate fight for top-flight survival with former Newcastle boss Sam Allardyce having been parachuted in to engineer a rescue mission.

He and Howe were touted for the vacant England manager’s job back in 2016 before Allardyce got the nod for what proved to be the briefest of reigns.

“Without remembering, I’d probably say I felt I shouldn’t maybe have been in that frame at that stage of my career,” Howe said. “I felt I had so much to achieve and experience before being elevated to that position.

“But it’s always a compliment and you always take it in the right way, that it must mean you’re doing something right in your job to be elevated to those levels.”

A bullish Allardyce ventured on his appointment at Leeds that he was as good a manager as Pep Guardiola, Jurgen Klopp and Mikel Arteta, but Howe says he was not disappointed to be left off the list.

“I wouldn’t be arrogant enough to push my name into that list,” he said.

Boris Becker believes Novak Djokovic can secure a record-breaking triumph at the French Open, where the tennis great hopes Rafael Nadal will return to action.

Djokovic moved level with Nadal for the most grand slam singles titles among male players after clinching his 22nd major with January's success at the Australian Open.

The Serbian will have his sights on a landmark 23rd major triumph at Roland Garros, where the tournament starts on May 28, and Becker sees no reason for Djokovic not to break the record in Paris.

Former world number one Becker, a six-time major winner, told Stats Perform: "Do I believe Novak can win 23? Absolutely, I can.

"But it's not easy. Competition doesn't sleep."

Djokovic has made light work of said competition in recent years, though a return for 14-time French Open winner Nadal would throw the upcoming major wide open.

However, the Spaniard has not featured since sustaining a hip injury at the Australian Open in January, most recently pulling out of the Italian Open as he had not fully recovered.

"The question is Nadal, can he come back? Can he play in the French Open? I personally hope so," Becker added.

"I think tennis needs Nadal. We need him. And so hopefully he comes back and plays as a 14-time winner of Roland Garros.

"But Novak is healthy, he's fit. He wants to play so he's one of the favourites."

Coventry have been preparing for their Premier League assault as popular Sky Blues kitman Chris Marsh fights sepsis.

The former Walsall defender was admitted to University Hospital Coventry this week with the infection which stemmed from a problem in his neck.

He missed Monday’s final day 1-1 draw at Middlesbrough but will be in the dressing room for Sunday’s Championship play-off semi-final first leg against the same opponents at the CBS Arena on Sunday, although cannot work as he recovers.

The effervescent Marsh credits club doctor Ganeshan Ramsamy for acting quickly and knows there could have been a very different outcome.

He told the PA news agency: “I thought it was a wasp sting but I had a really bad night’s sleep so when I came into the training ground the next day (Sunday), I saw the club doctor and he said ‘we need to rush you to A&E’.

“He was worried it was Mastoiditis (a serious infection that affects the mastoid bone behind the ear).

“I was in overnight and they released me so I watched the Boro game on TV before the doc asked me to send him a picture of my neck.

“He told me I was still in trouble – my neck was blistering – and I needed to go back to hospital. I went back and they’d given me the wrong medication so kept me in and it was sepsis.

“They got to it quickly. If I had left it which I probably would have done, it would have been serious. The club doctor was outstanding. He is top-drawer. He cares and I’ve got a lot of time for him, he’s brilliant.

“I’m back home and feeling better. My appetite returned on Wednesday so that tells you you’re on the mend. I can’t work for the next week but they want me in the dressing room on Sunday which is great.”

It is not the first time Marsh has survived a traumatic experience having suffered a slow bleed on the brain on Christmas Day in 2016.

Three days later wife Sabina took him to a walk-in centre where – after she demanded treatment – his blood pressure was found to be dangerously high and he was rushed to hospital. It was a decision which saved his life.

“I was in hospital for a week and on the fifth or sixth day when I was better the consultant sat on my bed,” said Marsh.

“He said ‘I’ve heard all the stories, heard off your wife that she kicked up a fuss at the walk-in clinic and you wanted to go home. Categorically, had you gone home that night and slept like you wanted to do, you weren’t waking up’.

“The bleed was that bad, I would have been gone.

“I’ve always said my wife saved me then. They always know, right? She sensed there was something wrong and she acted upon it right away.”

Soon after his recovery, and unable to do his day job as a driver, the ex-Northampton man joined the Sky Blues as kit man having played with manager Mark Robins and assistant Adi Viveash at Walsall.

There, he was a key part of promotion squads, including the Saddlers’ famous 1998-99 season when they finished runners-up behind Fulham and ahead of Manchester City in the old Second Division.

Coventry are now seeking to end their 22-year exile from the Premier League.

They have never been closer since their 2001 relegation, despite playing seven of their opening nine games away because the Commonwealth Games’ Rugby Sevens wrecked the CBS Arena pitch.

“One thing with this management team, not just Robbo, it’s Adi, Dennis Lawrence, everyone, they don’t take anyone for granted,” said Marsh, who has been a restaurateur and sandwich shop owner since retiring from playing.

“The players are not allowed to take the foot off the gas. Especially with the start we had, we were bottom, the pitch, we had to play so many away games at the start.

“To climb the table and be consistent, every single member of that team has played a part, every single one.

“Talk about David v Goliath or whatever analogy you want. We haven’t just swum The Channel, we’ve swum the Atlantic already – there and back.”

The Premier League and the Professional Footballers’ Association have signed off on a new five-year partnership agreement starting next season which is understood to be worth around £125million.

The bodies agreed a one-year deal last summer for the 2022-23 campaign which was worth £24.94m, an increase of £1.9m on the annual value of the previous three-year deal which ran from 2019 to 2022.

The new deal is understood to be broadly similar to the one-year agreement covering the current Premier League season.

Both sides were keen to seal a longer-term agreement on funding which was why an interim deal was put in place last year. Some of the money under the agreement will be put towards projects the Premier League and the PFA co-fund and some of it will be spent at the discretion of the PFA.

Premier League chief executive Richard Masters said: “We are delighted to renew our partnership with the PFA and extend our long-term commitment of support for a further five years.

“The PFA carries out vital work to support players in the Premier League and throughout the game. We share the ambition of ensuring that they have the support they need to successfully navigate the highs and lows of professional football and are prepared for life after their playing career.

“We look forward to our continued work with the PFA on player welfare, as well as a range of other important programmes within communities and those which help improve diversity among coaches.”

His PFA counterpart Maheta Molango said: “This new long-term agreement recognises the crucial role the PFA continues to perform as the players’ union.

“The new deal will support the wide range of services that the PFA provides to its members. It will also ensure the continuation of the successful projects across the game that are co-funded by the Premier League and the PFA.

“The length of this new agreement reflects the positive and collaborative relationship that has been established between the Premier League and the PFA. It ensures that we will be able to work as partners on shared priorities.

“Crucially, it also means that when there are issues that do need to be addressed on behalf of players, we will work constructively to achieve solutions.”

The partnership will help to support programmes such as the Professional Player to Coach Scheme, which aims to increase the number of black, Asian and mixed heritage players who transition into full-time coaching roles in the professional game.

As well as campaigning and lobbying on behalf of its members, the union works to support former players and their families after a dementia diagnosis, supports current and former players experiencing mental health and well-being issues and offers advice and support to young players after their release from the academy system.

The union also supports players reaching the end of their professional playing careers by providing counselling where needed, education and training services.

It also represents players’ interests on other matters which directly affect them, such as cost control measures across the domestic and European game and how player data is used.

Nottingham Forest boss Steve Cooper insists there is no problem with Jonjo Shelvey despite his recent omission from matchday squads.

Shelvey was left out of the win over Brighton at the end of April as a result of his tantrum at also being left out of the previous match at Liverpool, but he has not returned to the squad since for games against Brentford and Southampton.

The midfielder had been carrying a knock but is back in training, with Cooper saying there is not room for everyone in his squad.

“Jonjo is training. We have got players and squads to pick, which is what we want, but always outside of that there are players who fall on the wrong side,” Cooper said.

“That is the life of a manager trying to make the right choices, sometimes we get it right, sometimes we don’t. There’s no problem, we’re all good.”

Shelvey’s omission may be a result of the impressive recent form of Orel Mangala, who is showing his quality in a deep-lying role.

Big things were expected of Mangala following his summer move from Stuttgart but he took time to find his feet.

“We’ve always believed in him,” Cooper said. “It’s really difficult to play really well every single game, as we’ve seen with most of the lads – and there’s no shame in that, because that’s how football is.

“For sure, he’s in a good place and is showing good determination. It’s not just what you see on the pitch, there’s a lot of good stuff off the pitch as well, in terms of his preparation and the analysis he likes to do.

“Like everyone else, we are going to need him. We are going to need everybody. Everybody is playing their part.

“He is showing good confidence at the moment. With the position he plays and the type of player he is, if he’s feeling confident then I think that’s really good because then it allows him to do the things he’s good at well. Let’s hope that’s the case.

Tom Aspinall is raring to go following a long lay-off and admitted even he does not know what he is capable of after a long-term right knee injury.

Aspinall made a dazzling start to his UFC career with five finishes in as many fights to move to the cusp of a heavyweight title shot, but he risked competing despite being compromised once too often.

He suffered a torn MCL, torn meniscus and damaged ACL last July after throwing a leg kick seconds into his showdown against Curtis Blaydes, which was stopped as Aspinall sunk to the canvas in obvious agony.

Surgery and rehabilitation followed, but the Briton is fully healed and ready for his comeback against Poland’s Marcin Tybura in the headline of UFC London on July 22 – 364 days after the Blaydes fight.

He told the PA news agency: “I had such a good surgeon, such a good physio and I feel that I’m in the best place I’ve ever been mentally and physically, and I can’t wait to show everybody where I’m at.

“Nobody really knows what I can do, even myself. I’ve done most of these fights without doing most aspects of MMA – I couldn’t be on my knees for too long and grapple which is a massive part of MMA.

“I couldn’t do long sessions, I couldn’t train for longer than an hour because my knee would just start swelling up, I couldn’t run, I couldn’t do footwork drills because my knee was so unstable.

“I just got a little bit too greedy, I just gambled on myself one too many times but now it’s done. I’m dealing with absolutely no pain and now it just feels great. It’s like I’ve got a new leg.”

Defeat to Blaydes came with a big caveat and Aspinall, who has moved up from sixth to fifth in the heavyweight rankings in his absence, insisted there has been no loss of momentum.

While there were low moments in the days after his last fight, Aspinall was quickly able to get back in the gym but he used his time on the sidelines to recharge mentally following a busy past few years.

He said: “I feel like I needed a break. I just got to live a little bit normal without having the anxiety of having to fight someone in six weeks or eight weeks or different things coming up.

“I don’t want to do that again this summer, I’ve got that out of my system now, I can’t wait to get going again. But it was also nice to have a little break from it and just be normal for a little bit.”

As for how he handled the tough periods out of action, Aspinall revealed negative comments on social media have fuelled him.

The 30-year-old said: “I kind of like that. It fires me up big time, when someone’s like ‘he’s never going to be the same again after this injury’, they’re talking about the wrong guy.

“Definitely people saying that I can’t do it spurs me on, big time.”

Getting back into the win column against Tybura, ranked 10th, will put him a step closer to his ultimate aim of challenging for the UFC heavyweight crown, currently held by all-time great Jon Jones.

The American is a “dream opponent” for Aspinall but has been teasing retirement after a proposed bout with Stipe Miocic. Aspinall, a firm believer in everything happening for a reason, is content to work his way back for now.

Aspinall added: “I believe in it now more than ever. It was one of the worst experiences that I’ve ever had to go through. But the next few years are going to be very, very interesting.

“Whether Jon Jones will stick around or not, who knows? I’ve got a good few guys to take out before I start thinking about that.”