CHARLIE Daniels spoke of his relief at hitting the comeback trail and revealed he had been “the world’s worst patient” during his latest injury setback.

Left-back Daniels has been gradually building up his fitness after suffering a torn thigh muscle during Cherries’ 2-1 win over Huddersfield Town at the end of January.

The ex-Spurs trainee, enduring his second spell on the sidelines this season, had enjoyed an unbroken run of 17 starts for Cherries following a bout of plantar fasciitis, an inflammation of the tissue on the sole of the heel.

But after his second stint at the Villa Stuart Clinic in Rome this campaign, Daniels declared himself ready to step up his progress after recovering quicker than initially anticipated.

Providing the latest on his injury, Daniels told the Daily Echo: “It has gone really well, the tear healed in a relatively short time which was great news.

“Now the plan is to kick on, get some running under my belt and see where we go from there.

“I have targeted a game to be back for which I will keep to myself. For the rest of the season I want to stay fit and healthy and get back to the place I was at just before I got injured.

“It was very frustrating when I pulled up. I didn’t want it to happen but when it did I just thought it was better to stop and come off rather than do a lot more damage.

“If I had carried on I could have ripped it to the bone. Sometimes, the best thing to do is just stop and think ahead, even if it is early in the game and you’re frustrated.”

Meanwhile, Daniels was quick to praise the care he got in the Italian capital and cited his time abroad as the catalyst behind his swift improvement.

On the Rome clinic, he added: “There is a greater intensity because you’re out there and everything is focused on you as an individual.

“Instead of one or two treatments a day you have three or four bursts and those little things really help to speed up the process.

“They have the latest techniques, some of which the club have over here now, to help the healing process.

“I really don’t like being injured and if you ask the doctors they probably don’t like me being injured because I get on their nerves too much.

“They hate it because I am always on their case, wanting to do things rather than relaxing a little bit. I just want to get fit and back out on the pitch.

“In that way, it (being in Italy) does work out but the main purpose is to get the best treatment as quickly as you can and shorten the length of time out.”