Forgotten midfielder Abou Diaby has spoken out on his desire to play for Arsenal again after confirming he’s off crutches and should be running again in a few weeks.

The Frenchman has seen his career decimated by a series of serious injuries and he was ruled out in March for up to nine months after rupturing a ligament in his knee in training.

He was then dealt a sickening blow when he suffered a set back in September and was ruled out for a further three-to-four months, and rumours began that he might be set to hang up his boots.

However, Diaby has confirmed that he has now ditched the crutches and hopes to be running again in a few weeks as he starts the long road to recovery from his latest injury. He told L’Equipe:

“I have come off the crutches. Now I have to start walking again! “I will start running again in a few weeks. “I want to take my time with everything to ensure that it all goes smoothly.”

The 27-year-old retweeted this article from his Twitter account and vowed that despite the setbacks, he’s determined to return for Arsenal:

Despite setbacks, determined to return @arsenal as soon as I can. http://t.co/pdsxHfoNqV — Abou DIABY (@AbouVDIABY) November 11, 2013

You’ve got to give it to him, he’s certainly no quitter. A lesser man would have hung up his boots a long time ago but Diaby seems determined to get back to fitness and earn another contract (his current deal expires at the end of the season).

He’s a hugely talented player and it’s a real shame his career has been blighted by injury problems. Whether his latest comeback attempt is a successful one or not, he seems destined to never truly fulfill his vast potential.