Sebastien Haller never feared he would be forced to retire and wants to return to action "as quickly as possible".
The Ivory Coast striker joined Borussia Dortmund from Ajax ahead of this season but is yet to feature for the Bundesliga side after discovering a malignant tumour during pre-season testing in July.
Haller underwent two surgeries and chemotherapy, with Dortmund chief executive Hans-Joachim Watzke stating the striker could return after the mid-season break.
The 28-year-old was present as Dortmund returned to training for the first time after the World Cup last week, although he was being "carefully introduced".
In comments to the media on Monday, Haller said: "I want to play as quickly as possible. There are no limits and restrictions on my involvement unless the medical staff tell me otherwise.
"[Returning is the] best feeling I could have. I didn't know what the future will bring, but I focused every day on staying fit.
"I can do everything now that I used to do before; that gives me great confidence.
"I took only 19 days off in the six months. It was hard, but it's my job and I love it."
Haller – who scored 34 goals in 43 games for Ajax last season before joining Dortmund for a reported €34.5million fee – also said he had never had concerns about his career coming to a premature end.
"[Retiring] was never on my mind," he said. "I had the mindset of looking forward and taking every day at a time. It was harder for my family, they suffered a lot because they didn't feel in control. They helped me a lot."
Also speaking at a press conference, Haller's Dortmund team-mate Marco Reus was delighted they could welcome the striker back into the fold ahead of the resumption of the Bundesliga season later this month.
"You can probably tell by my laughter, but it gives me goosebumps that he's back on the field," Reus told reporters. "I don't think he needs to say much at all, we were just so happy to have him back.
"I think we all took our hats off to the fight he put up and, above all, that he came back with a strength, with a mental strength that's really strong, and you can see it every day.
"He trains with us all the way; of course, he has a bit of catching up to do, but he pulls it off completely, and it's just a lot of fun to be back on the pitch with him, because of course he gives us a new alternative in the long run, which we perhaps don't have in our game yet.
"And that's why we're all doing well to stay calm, of course, and just give him a little bit of time until he finds his rhythm. That's going to take a little bit of time, but first and foremost just being healthy and playing what he feels most like playing."
On his own future, Reus also addressed recent rumours he will link up with Cristiano Ronaldo at Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia at the end of the season when his contract at Dortmund expires.
"I have a consultant to sort these things out," he said. "For me, it's just important that I stay in good health, that I do the complete training camp, do the games, and the rest you'll just really see in the future. But as I said, I have my advisor for that.
"Of course, you look ahead. And of course, I still have half a year left on my contract, and if I didn't worry about that, then it would be wrong.
"But actually, right now, I'm just happy to be back on the pitch and to be with the team. I mean, we are in sixth place and we really have other things to do right now. And that's where the focus is right now.
"Everything else will simply be decided in the next few weeks and months, and then we'll see in which direction it goes."
Kris Doolan believes Partick Thistle have Premiership credentials
Kris Doolan believes Partick Thistle have all the ingredients of a cinch Premiership team as they stand on the brink of a return to the top flight.
The Jags will take a 2-0 lead from the first leg of their play-off final against Ross County to Dingwall for the return game on Sunday.
Doolan, who stepped up from the club’s academy to take over from Ian McCall in February – initially as interim boss – has total belief in his squad, the first team to finish fourth in the second tier to go all the way to the play-off final.
Former Thistle striker Doolan, who lost a play-off final against Livingston in 2018, said: “Ian McCall built this squad and he deserves a lot of credit for that because it is a fantastic squad.
“To me it is a Premiership squad and we have managed to find a shape and a style of play that suits us.
“We play to our strengths but ultimately there are guys in there who have played hundreds of games at Premiership level.
“It is not as if we are a young side who are wet behind the ears, we don’t understand what the games are all about. They know how to get through games.
“You look in their eyes, they are desperate to be in the Premiership.
“They have a one-track mind and that is what we have tried to instil. We have tried to instil a winning mentality, a winning environment and winning breeds winning.
“I say that all the time but it becomes a habit and it is a habit that is hard to break but likewise if you are losing games, it is a hard habit to break that as well.
“I have been on the flip side of it coming out the Premiership, I know what it is like in these play-off games, when there is so much at stake it is difficult to stop a team with momentum coming into the last game especially, even though you might be at home. It is still a difficult thing to stop.
“We have had five games under real pressure in the play-offs but the players play as if there is no pressure. We have nothing to lose. We have everything to gain.
“Ross County are the team who could potentially come out of the Premiership. But for us, we will go up there with the mentality to win and hopefully get the job done.”
Malky Mackay does not want his Ross County players to dwell on defeat
Malky Mackay told his Ross County players to quickly forget their Maryhill misery to focus on overturning Partick Thistle’s cinch Premiership play-off final advantage.
The Staggies lost 2-0 in the first leg at Firhill on Thursday night to leave themselves with a huge task in the return game in Dingwall on Sunday.
County had 16-year-old defender Dylan Smith sent off in between Aidan Fitzpatrick’s early strike and Brian Graham’s late first-half goal which put the Championship outfit in the box seat in the tie.
Boss Mackay is aware of the severe ramifications of removal from the Premiership but said: “At the end of the game I had 10-15 minutes with them and I spoke about getting their disappointment out (of) the way just now.
“By the time we get on that bus and go up the road I want them focused on recovering and nothing else but going out there with a positive mindset on Sunday afternoon.
“It is half-time. We are 2-0 down with 90 minutes to go. The only thing that will be on their minds is going out there to beat Partick Thistle.”
Mackay hopes the County fans turn out on Sunday to give their side a better chance of recovering the tie against a side who have gone 11 games unbeaten.
Asked what his message to the Staggies supporters was, he said: “Just to keep sticking with us. They were great on Thursday night.
“It is a long way to the Highlands and it was great that so many came down.
“There was a wee bit of misfortune as far as the sending off, that changes the dynamics of the game but I think they will see players trying for the jersey.
“You (have) seen the blocks that the players were putting in at the end and if nothing else you will see players that are trying really hard to make sure that we pull this back. So I would imagine that there will be a good crowd at Dingwall.”
Pep Guardiola can understand United’s motivation to end City’s treble hopes
Pep Guardiola believes stopping Manchester City winning the treble could give Manchester United extra motivation in the FA Cup final.
The two neighbouring rivals clash in the Wembley showpiece for the first time on Saturday with more than a trophy and local bragging rights at stake.
For Premier League winners City victory could be the second leg of a potentially glorious treble with the final of the Champions League to come next week.
United on the other hand – as the only side to have won all three of those competitions in the same season, back in 1999 – will be anxious to stop them and protect their place in history.
City manager Guardiola said: “I could understand that. It belongs to them, that’s normal. Sport is like that.
“’That belongs to us – we don’t want anyone else to do it,’ it’s normal, that feeling. It’s completely understandable. But it’s a football game, who will be better will win.”
United boss Erik ten Hag, however, has played down the party-pooping aspect of his side’s task.
The Dutchman has enjoyed an encouraging first season at Old Trafford having won the Carabao Cup and reclaimed a Champions League spot.
“I know what is the thinking from the fans,” Ten Hag said.
“But what we want is to restore Manchester United by winning trophies. We have an opportunity to win a trophy and we don’t want to be distracted by anything.
“If it’s important for the fans then it’s important for us, so we will give everything to win the cup.”
Guardiola insists the treble is not part of his thinking yet. He has spent the week preparing to face United and will switch focus to playing Inter Milan in Istanbul next week.
“We didn’t speak once about Inter these days,” he said. “We’ll have Sunday off, and after we’ll have three or four days training.
“We’ll introduce what we believe Inter are, to try to beat them, then. We have time. Saturday to Saturday is a long time to prepare for a game.
“United and the FA Cup deserve the full attention and commitment. The players are completely aware of that.”
City could have a fully-fit squad with Kevin De Bruyne, Jack Grealish, Ruben Dias and Manuel Akanji, who all missed last week’s game at Brentford, having since returned to training.
Guardiola has confirmed second-choice goalkeeper Stefan Ortega will start, as he has in all domestic cup fixtures this season.
United are without striker Anthony Martial due to a hamstring injury and winger Antony is also a major doubt.
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