You’re currently playing as well as ever – captain of a Hearts team that looks destined for Europe, and back as first choice for Scotland. It’s hard to believe you were out of the game completely through injury from 2012 to 2014.
I remember playing one last game in my final year at Sunderland [2011-12]. I knew deep down that I wasn’t fit, but I was playing to win another contract, stay in full-time football and buy myself time to get my knee fixed. I shouldn’t have been out there and I was in a lot of pain. I tried to get through it, but in the end they let me go. I was out of the game for two whole years and, yeah, I couldn’t have imagined at that point I’d be in this position.