Blomqvist hopes the Goodison times are back

Fresh starts are all the rage on Merseyside at the moment. The departed Robbie Fowler and the recovering Gérard Houllier have understandably been grabbing all the football headlines recently, but, away from the high-profile goings-on at Liverpool, a quiet reinvention is taking place in the blue half of the city.

Fcuk football. On Thursday, that was no more than the inscription on Jesper Blomqvist's trendy top. But, for many of the 933 days since he last played a competitive match, that must also have been a close variant of the type of expression he used to vent his frustration. Only now, some two-and-a-half years after his last first team appearance for Manchester United against Bayern Munich in the Champions' League final in Barcelona, is Blomqvist set to make his long-awaited and oft-aborted comeback in the next couple of games, either at Leeds on Wednesday or Sunderland next Saturday. It will not be the Nou Camp, but it will do nicely for starters.

Blomqvist remembers that incredible night in Spain "as if it was yesterday". He began the match on the left wing (Ryan Giggs was on the right), missed one glorious chance to score, was replaced by Teddy Sheringham in the 67th minute, and watched from the sidelines as the dramatic denouement unfolded. It should have been the first of many trophies. "It's funny," he says, "because I really believed I was at the start of something good. I had the feeling that the following year was going to be even better. I thought it was going to be my year." But by the end of pre-season training just a couple of months later, Blomqvist's ambitions had been shattered – along with his right knee.

Blomqvist was forced to sit and watch as his team-mates continued to sweep all before them on the domestic front. He may not have lived the success of the team in the last two years, but he never felt alienated from the club. The winger received support from everyone at Manchester United, from the manager to the resident sports psychologist. Even when he took the unusual decision to train with the first team and play for the reserves without being paid, once he had been told that his contract would not be renewed, he was always made to feel a part.

No wonder, then, Blomqvist has been keeping an anxious eye on recent events at Old Trafford. "I'm not all that surprised they are having problems," he says. "We have seen in the past how departing managers can affect players. Look how quickly things went wrong once Sven [Goran Eriksson] announced he would leave Lazio to join England. Maybe the players find it hard to focus. The Man U boys are going to have to work hard to get themselves out of their current plight, but all I know is that they definitely have the players to achieve anything they want – I'm sure of that."

Blomqvist will be hoping that Manchester United's road to recovery is not as long and tortuous as the one he has taken. Following four operations (three on the right knee and one on the left), 31 months of physiotherapy, several weeks of counselling, numerous days of fitness training, and countless hours of worrying, the little Swede is finally in a position to resume his career on the left of midfield.

"I'm so happy to be at another big Premiership club," says Blomqvist, whose only goal for United was scored against Everton and at Goodison. "Of course, I need to get a little bit more match shape, but otherwise I'm doing fine – I feel ready. I worry a bit, but I do believe that I can make it. When you have been out for so long, it's difficult to know what's missing from your game. I'm close, but I will need a few matches to make a better assessment."

Having spent so long on the sidelines, Blomqvist is naturally anxious not to rush back before he is fully recovered. The 27-year-old wants this Everton-based comeback to be for good, not just for Christmas. "I feel right at the moment," says Blomqvist, who is on a six-month contract, "but I know it could all change very quickly. I don't want to get myself up and then break down again. I don't want to have to relive the lows."

Despite the support he received from friends and family, it is little surprise to hear that Blomqvist had periods of self-doubt. "There were times when it was really hard, everything hurt, and I wondered if I could carry on," he says. "Recovery became very monotonous, which is why I tried to vary my programme as much as possible. If I hadn't done that, I think I would have gone mad after a year. The worst thing, though, is that you worry that the cycle of injuries will never stop."

The end did come, but not until Blomqvist had bumped into his old Old Trafford team-mate Jordi Cruyff. The Dutchman had had similar problems until he went to see a specialist in Croatia. Dr Stanislav Peharec saved his career. "He immediately told me I needed to get my body right," Blomqvist explains. "He felt I had to teach each part to function properly and work together." Thanks to James Bond-like equipment, Blomqvist's every move and habit were dissected and analysed. As a result, the Swede was put on a strict daily regime, which included gym work, swimming and changing his diet.

"I can't tell you how tiring it was," he says. "I trained for eight or nine hours per day for six weeks. It was exhausting." But worth it. Blomqvist has now radically altered his posture and running style, and says he feels "a different person". One familiar trait which remains, however, is his very personal way of holding on to the cuffs of his jersey, rather like a little boy lost. "The doc didn't change that."

Even during the hardest of times, Blomqvist insists that he never seriously considered quitting the game. "I could have done other things, like go to college or start a business," he says. "I didn't need the money, but this is what I enjoy most. Playing is the thing that gives me most pleasure in the world." Fcuk football? No chance.