A promising young footballer, whose career looked to be over after he plummeted 40ft from a balcony, is fighting back to fitness.
Tom English, 20, of Shrub End Road, Colchester, was on holiday in Tenerife when the accident happened.
He was trying to chase a thief when he fell from the hotel balcony.
Fighting back to fitness - Tom English
He suffered a broken jaw, shattered knee, cruciate ligament damage and facial injuries and was in a coma for ten days.
The young central midfielder had already completed 3 and a half years with Arsenal, played in the Singapore League first division, and looked set to join Queens Park Rangers, before the accident.
His career lay in tatters after the fall.
But now things are looking up after Tom has started running, kicking a ball and lifting weights with his legs.
"I was so scared to kick a ball at first," he said.
"It just felt weird. But everyone is confident that I'll be back playing professional football soon."
Tom has already had offers from more teams in Singapore to play in the new year but the Arsenal supporter said: "What I really want is to play in the top English leagues."
Published Friday July 26, 2002
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