"?Leicester City goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel has admitted feeling relieved after he returned to the Foxes' first-team squad against Stoke City.
The Denmark international made a string of important saves during his side's 2-2 draw at the bet365 stadium, with Leicester claiming a remarkable point after Jamie Vardy's red card. Speaking to "?Leicester's official club website, Schmeichel praised the club's medical staff for their efforts during his rehabilitation.
"I feel good. It's been a long time coming so it's just nice to get back out there. It's tough, I'm not good at sitting out so it was a tough period," Schmeichel revealed.
"The medical staff had their work cut out with me because I'm a very difficult guy to manage, so a lot of credit goes to them.
"It's just nice to get back out there."
Kasper Schmeichel on his injury lay-off ahead of #LeiEve.
? https://t.co/aG8qrXVJUx #lcfc pic.twitter.com/F1LWxj1GR8
"I was training sometimes outfield. It was a good way to stay fit and stay involved with the lads. It's something that I've done before. It's important for a goalkeeper to be good with his feet and it was also good exercise for me.
"It also gives me a good understanding of what it's like to play each position around the pitch. It gives me a bit of insight of how to give different types of balls to different positions and how they want to receive the ball."?
Leicester's team spirit has arguably been their biggest strength this season, and it was showcased again during the draw against Stoke, coming from two goals down to earn a draw despite being a man down.
Claudio Ranieri's side will rarely ever be short on confidence or belief following last season's unprecedented Premier League triumph, and 30-year-old Schmeichel believes the side's belief was the important factor in their draw last weekend.
"It was a tough game but we showed what we're about, character-wise, to come from 2-0 down away from home with 10 men takes a lot of courage and skill," Schmeichel continued.
"It was good to see that determination. We always believed it. If you don't believe it, you're never going to do it, so the most important thing was belief."