Owen Hargreaves insists he is going to 'blow people away' when he finally returns to football having been besieged by horrendous injury problems over the past three years.
Having been released from Manchester United in the summer the England international is currently weighing up his options, with West Brom having tabled a firm offer for his services.
Baggies boss Roy Hodgson insists he will not rush Hargreavesinto making a quick decision, with the 30-year-old understandably taking his time on deciding where best would suit his needs.
Both Hargreaves and the club's medical staff are convinced the two-time European Cup winner is now over the knee injuries which have stolen the best years of his career.
"I'm going to blow people away. I'm coming back believing I can return to the level I was at before. My body feels great and my knees are perfect. I've just got this huge chip on my shoulder because I've been out for three years and people think I'm dead and buried," he told the Daily Mail.
"I can understand why. I can see why people would be sceptical. When I walked off the pitch after five minutes in that game against Wolves last season, people must have thought, 'What is it with this guy? Is he made of f*****g glass? Is he kidding?' It was my first game in two years.
"I don't want to get ahead of myself. I'd like to get some proper football training and a few games under my belt before I get too excited.
"But, right now, I'd like to think I can play 40 games this season and with the right care I believe I can train every day. I hope to be back in the England side for the European Championship next summer. You have to have ambition."
While unquestionably a fine player when fit, many managers, including Sir Alex Ferguson, are reticent to offer terms to a player who has spent the best part of three years in the physio room.
Free offer
Indeed, such was Hargreaves' desire to repay the time and money United put into aiding his recovery the Canada-born midfielder offered to play for nothing; a proposal that was rejected by the Premier League champions.
"I don't blame them for letting me go," he concedes. "I can understand it. There comes a point when you have to say this hasn't worked out. The game has moved on. See you later, all the best.
"David Gill's a terrific guy and a terrific chief executive. And with the boss there is no animosity. There was probably a lot of frustration on his part even if there was a lot more on mine.
"I told the boss I will play 40 games this season. He said he could see me playing again, but he wanted to start bringing the younger players through. When I played for him he was fantastic.
"He's a great manager. He knows the players who can win a game for him. He's the best at that.
"The guys were great, too. It's a wonderful club. The people behind the scenes are terrific. Some of the guys on the medical staff have become great friends.
"At one stage I did offer to play for nothing this season, just to stay on. But they said 'You don't want to do that' and they were probably right."
That snub has not stopped numerous agents from trying to hook him up with new employers but Hargreaves is loath to give out a piece of himself to a middle man - determined as he is to control his own destiny.
Agent interest
"Just this summer, I've had maybe 30 agents getting in touch to say they can help. But I've turned them away. I don't see why some middle man should make a fast buck out of me. If clubs are interested, they will be able to see for themselves if I am fit," he added.
When videos of Hargreaves putting himself through his paces appeared on YouTube some sceptics interpreted it as being a sign of his growing desperation, but again the one-time £17million man insists it was all part of his rehabilitation.
"For the last three years I have had every training session videoed. It's been helpful in monitoring my progress. It was also used to let United know how I was doing when I was in Colorado for eight months undergoing rehab.
'It ended up on YouTube because the files were too big to email to specific people; specific clubs. So I put them on YouTube so they could see it. I know it became a bit of a story when people found it in the public domain but I really don't care. No big deal."
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