KHALILOU Fadiga has confirmed that he never doubted he would return to football after collapsing during the warm-up before October's clash with Spurs.

The 29-year-old had to be stretchered from the Reebok pitch while unconscious after the incident, which occurred just minutes before the kick-off of the Carling Cup tie.

He has since had an automatic defibrillator - a device designed to control the Senegalese international's heartbeat - fitted by surgeons in Belgium, who first treated him after a heart condition was detected shortly after he joined Italian giants Inter Milan from Auxerre 18 months ago.

Medical experts last week assessed Fadiga's condition and gave him the all clear to return to training and he made his return to action in the reserves.

In the last couple of months various people - most notably Italian cardiologist Professor Marcello Chimienti, who first diagnosed Fadiga's heart problem - have suggested that the midfielder would be taking too great a risk to continue playing, but Fadiga says he was always confident he would return.

"If all the doctors tell me that I have to stop, then I have to stop, but everyone had the confidence to say that everything was perfect so that I can continue to play, so I did it.

"Now I will just continue to work like I did before, and I have all the confidence from the doctor, from the FA, and from everyone who has said that I am now fit and that I won't have any trouble anymore, and I'm very happy for that."

Reserve team boss Neil McDonald was also optimistic that Fadiga could put his problems behind him and get back to playing football.

He said: "He's been training and there's been no probleml. I think he probably needs a few more games, but it's difficult over Christmas because the next reserve game isn't until January 10."