Bouma frustrated by ankle setback

Published: 01 Jul 2009 - 16:46:06

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Bouma badly dislocated his ankle in an Intertoto Cup game against Odense last July and did not even start training again until January, although he returned with ambitions of playing a first-team game before the end of the season. He eventually made his comeback for the reserves against Chelsea in early March but he was forced to undergo keyhole surgery just a month later to remove particles from the ankle. Bouma is still recovering from the operation and the Holland international admits the final part of his lay-off has been the most frustrating. He told the Express & Star: "The first eight months after the injury were fine, because I realised the magnitude of the problem and the approximate timeframe. "I understood that and could deal with it, no problem. But the last two months were mentally tough. It became obvious I needed another operation. "That was hard to take but it is a challenge I'm determined to beat.