Hull City: Ryan Mason says he is unsure when he will return to playing

Ryan Mason became Hull's club-record signing when he joined from Tottenham last August for an undisclosed fee

HULL City’s Ryan Mason says he is still unsure when he will return to playing as he continues his recovery from a fractured skull suffered in January.

The midfielder, 25, has previously said he felt “lucky to be alive” after requiring surgery following a clash of heads with Chelsea’s Gary Cahill.

“There’s no timescale on anything and I’m just taking each day as it comes,” Mason told Hull’s YouTube channel.

“But my mind is right and I’m looking forward to returning a better player.”

After eight minutes of treatment on the pitch during the Premier League match at Stamford Bridge, Mason was given oxygen as he was carried off on a stretcher.

He had surgery at St Mary’s Hospital in London, where he stayed for a week afterwards.

“It was one of those unfortunate incidents that happen in football sometimes. Luckily I had the right people around me from the second it happened and I have been recovering ever since,” he added.

“It was a bit of an eye-opener as to what can happen to you at any time. It’s a scary moment when you’re on a football pitch and realise that your life is in danger – it was a one-in-a-million kind of thing.

“Thankfully the doctors and all of the medical people around me knew what was happening straight away and they handled it with great care and professionalism. I appreciate everything they did for me on that day.”

‘I’m taking it steady’

Mason returned to Hull’s training ground for the first time since the incident earlier in May. He described going back as “a massive step”.

“There were times when I just couldn’t be around noise, and people talking in the same room would have been too much for me,” he said.

“I’m still a bit wary because it’s a loud place when you’ve got 30 or 40 lads all in the same room. I’m taking it steady and respecting what my body is telling me.

“There will come a time when I can really kick on, and I hope that will be soon, but I’m not going to push things when it’s not necessary.”

SOURCE: BBC SPORT

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