Nineteen months is an unforgiving length of time to be out of action and Bernard admits at one stage he genuinely feared his career was over. A serious knee injury, two surgeries and repeated setbacks left him struggling to do even the simplest things for himself. He shed more tears than he cares to admit.
“I’m not going to lie to you, it’s tough to keep dreaming at times,” he said. “I’ve been in some dark spots.”
But Bernard is a resilient person. His support network – family, friends, his girlfriend, his agent and the club’s physios - have kept him going through the tough times. Fans played their part too, sending him lovely messages of support on social media.
