"I spoke to the manager about it and we both agreed that I would just be getting through games, which wasn't doing myself or the team justice. The knee would only have got worse and I would need the operation anyway, so we decided to bite the bullet and have it done now. It's just one of those things, though, and I'm trying to stay positive. I suppose it was a good time to have the operation, at the start of a two–week international break, because I will miss fewer games."