The road back from a multi-ligament knee reconstruction is about as painful, long and lonely as it sounds but Michael West is on his way.

Ending his unhappy spell at Crewe and returning to Ebbsfleet – the club he calls his second home – in January, was supposed to rejuvenate West. It was supposed to remind us of his star qualities, the skills which inspired the Fleet to promotion in 2011.

It wasn’t supposed to be like this.

One dark day in Brighton stopped him in his tracks. Ebbsfleet were playing Whitehawk in Conference South, in only the 12th game of West’s homecoming.

He recalled: “I was in the bottom right-hand corner and was running with the ball, no-one around me, when I felt my knee let go. It wasn’t a painful experience.

“I thought it was a hamstring or a little niggle. I went down, got up and carried on for 10 minutes but I knew, because I couldn’t sprint, that something wasn’t right.

“It wasn’t until I had an MRI scan, three or four days later, that I knew I’d torn the ligament. But on the first scan, the doctor didn’t pick up that I did my lateral side, they only picked up that I did my ACL (anterior cruciate ligament).

“It’s not until I saw the surgeon, and luckily he was a good surgeon, that when he felt around and moved it, he said ‘it seems like you’ve done your LCL as well’. I had an ultrasound and that confirmed it.”

A good surgeon? The best. Ebbsfleet sent West to Andy Williams, the man Premier League clubs turn to.

“I can’t fault the club at all,” West said. “They couldn’t have looked after me any better.

“I had surgery two weeks later, so I didn’t have time to think about it. I was getting ready for surgery, thinking about how I was going to recover.”

On the day of his surgery, April 2, West posted a photo on Instagram of himself wearing a hospital gown. It was sad to see, but, in reality, it was his first step on the road to recovery.

He said: “I wasn’t scared because I knew I was in good hands. The surgeon told me everything would be all right. He was a nice person and I had trust in him. But when I woke up and I was in pain, it was a bit different.

“I was bed-bound for three to four weeks after that because I wasn’t allowed to put weight on that leg for six to seven weeks. I couldn’t even walk my dog and was on crutches for 12 weeks.”

West joined his team-mates on holiday in Dubai but when the Fleet players reported back for pre-season training at Cobdown, he couldn’t join in.

He said: “I have my good days and bad days and it gets a bit frustrating being in that physio room all the time. I don’t really like watching football, to be honest. I’d rather be playing.

“But all the people around here, the gaffer (Steve Brown), Ron (Hillyard), the other players, they all keep my head up. I’m doing everything I can, I’m listening to what Jamie (Crosswell, the Fleet physio) has to say.”

It’s a solitary existence at times but West said: “I don’t think anyone could say they don’t feel part of the team, even if they’re not playing. That’s the environment the gaffer and Gritty (Steve Gritt) create.

“I do feel part of the team, even though I hate not playing. That’s the gaffer’s personality, he gets everyone involved.”

West is a deep thinker and this long lay-off has sparked more introspection.

He said: “I’ve never had a bad injury until now, so to spend five months doing nothing, it does have a big impact. If it was that bad that I couldn’t play again, I’d have to forget about football. But the surgeon’s got a 100% success rate – so I should be OK.”

Ebbsfleet fans will certainly be hoping so. A fit West in the second half of the season might be the magic ingredient in Brown’s promotion recipe.

He said: “Being at Crewe definitely helped me. Technically, I think I’m a better player. I can use both feet better now. If anything, when I’m fit, I’ll be a better player.

“My deadline (to come back) was December but I saw the surgeon in July and he said I was five to six weeks ahead of schedule."

Match days can be a painful experience.

West said: “It’s hard for me to watch, thinking I could be helping the boys out. This is a long journey.”

It certainly is. But when Ebbsfleet’s favourite son eventually runs out at Stonebridge Road again, the wait – for him, and for us – will have been worth it.