Toby Alderweireld has spoken of his relief after recovering from a “one in a million” injury left Tottenham medical staff unable to predict how long he would be out.

The fit-again centre-back, arguably Spurs’ most important outfield player, missed nearly two months with a knee problem that was originally expected to heal quickly.

Alderweireld sustained the damage in the 1-1 draw at West Brom on October 15, after a collision with team-mate Jan Vertonghen. Manager Mauricio Pochettino expected Alderweireld to be available again after a short time as scans showed no ligament damage but, as the defender explained, the problem was far more severe than anyone anticipated.

He told Standard Sport: “It was an unusual injury, one in a million. It almost never happens in football. I got a hard knock on the nerve on the right side of my knee, so the nerve was shut down. All of my leg was shut down. When that happens, it takes a long time to ‘restart’ the nerve again, so it wasn’t an injury you could put a time limit on. If you pull a hamstring, you will probably be out for four to six weeks. With a nerve, you don’t know.

“My leg didn’t work and I had to start all over again. The nature of the problem also meant that for a while, my foot didn’t work properly, so I had do as much recovery work as possible without using my foot.

“I could walk, but not as I normally would, because it was difficult to lift up my foot. It was difficult for the medical staff to put a time on my recovery because we didn’t know. It could have been two weeks, six weeks, maybe three months more.

“We just had to do everything we could to stimulate the nerve and ensure I could come back as quickly as possible. It was very frustrating, but I had to use the frustration to work as hard as possible and be ready to come back.

“I knew that when the nerve started working normally again, I had to be able to play as quickly as possible, and that was my motivation. I feel fit, even better than I did, and I’m hungry to help the team.

“It felt good to be back on the pitch against CSKA Moscow and Manchester United. I worked hard for it. Sometimes these things can happen but now I think I am 100 per cent.”

Alderweireld’s return is vital for Tottenham as they try to close the 10-point gap to leaders Chelsea. They face Hull tomorrow and Burnley on Sunday, both at White Hart Lane.

Alderweireld also insisted he was happy to stay at Spurs for the long term after the club opened talks with his advisors over a new contract, which is expected to be worth about £70,000 a week —as revealed by Standard Sport.

Leaked documents last week suggested the 27-year-old had a £25.4million release clause in his contract, although Tottenham strongly denied its existence.

Alderweireld added: “I signed for Tottenham for a reason and I love to play here. I see no problem there. Whatever has been written, I am only focusing on football because that is what I love to do.”