OWEN Garvan today revealed the extent of the illness that has kept him on the sidelines this season.He was so weak a few weeks ago that he could not get out of bed without help.

By Elvin King

OWEN Garvan today revealed the extent of the illness that has kept him on the sidelines this season.

He was so weak a few weeks ago that he could not get out of bed without help.

And the 18-year-old midfielder still has no idea when he will be fit enough to return to the Ipswich Town first team.

Garvan made a huge splash at the start of last season when he came into the Championship side and became an instant hit.

But 12 months later life is proving so frustrating for the Dublin-born player tipped to have a huge future in the game.

While his team-mates are building up a head of steam under new manager Jim Magilton, Garvan is left sitting at home watching DVD's.

“I am on the mend,” he said. “For a while, I could not get out of bed on my own. I had no energy and needed help.”

Garvan, who made 33 appearances last season and scored three goals, was told to rest by a specialist he saw five weeks ago.

“I have been told that the next move has to come from me, and that I will know when I am strong enough to start thinking about training again.

“It is proving to be so frustrating and I rarely go up to the training ground any more as it makes it worse seeing everybody else running around.

“At the moment I am allowed one walk a day, and the rest of the time I am sitting around watching television and DVD's.

“There has been an improvement and I feel better now than I did. But I have been told that it is likely to be a slow process.

“I will be doing all I can to get back, but I cannot set any dates yet.”

Garvan is determined to play again this season, and he says when he does come back he will appreciate life more.

He added: “It takes something like this to make you realise how lucky you are to play football for a living. I am determined to come back stronger and even keener to succeed.”

Garvan contacted shingles during the close season, and although he played part of the friendly against Lazio at Portman Road in July he has had to sit out the rest of the action .

The illness set in after a bout of shingles, and Garvan explained: “Doctors say that I suffering from fatigue and this is always a possibility after suffering from a flu virus or shingles.

“Over 150,000 people are affected in Britain each year. It was difficult to accept at first, but I am handling it okay now.

“It might take some while, but I am determined to be back full of beans as soon as possible.”