Blackpool FC: Jordan Lawrence-Gabriel on his road to recovery, taking himself away from football, and his targeted return date

The defender is currently working his way back to full fitness, and has recently resumed training with his teammates.

Gabriel admits the support of his family has helped him through the last few months, and states supportive messages on social media have outweighed the negative comments.

“It’s always difficult because you’ve got the people who are behind you, and then you’ve got the ones who want to attack you,” he said.

"I wanted to give back to the fans because of the amount of support, but I did have to take myself away from football.

"I’ve been in this position so many times recently where it’s felt like I just haven’t been able to get a break.

"I used the off-season to get my head right- working on myself to push on.

"Everything the fans do is appreciated, and those feelings will never change whether it’s negative or positive things being said.

"Having my family around me helped massively.

"I had my little girl and my fiancé, who was on the verge of giving birth again.

"My missus’ family has been so supportive. To have them around me on my dark days just made everything a lot better.

"They’ve been trying to get me through each day, and it’s nice.

"To fans I’m a player, and that’s all I am, but we’re people as well.

"I’ve got my clothing brand, and a few other things, but my main focus has always been to get back playing.

"I’ve got a goal in my head of where I want to reach and which game I want to get to, but it depends on the staff and making sure it’s right.

"I need to make sure I’ve got enough miles in the bank.

"To have targets is important because without them you’ve got nothing to drive for or any ambitions.”

Throughout the last few months, Lawrence-Gabriel has been working closely with Seasiders summer recruit Kyle Joseph- who has also been working his way back from injury.

“He’s a great guy,” the former Nottingham Forest fullback added.

“To have a partner to work with pushes you through.

"If he’s at a level then I want to get there. You’re always pushing each other to get back to where you want to be.

"The banter isn’t bad either- he’s still working on it, but I’m pulling him along. Hopefully he’ll get there, but he’s still a way off.

“We’ve got people behind the scenes at the club that do help us.

"There’s enough people around to provide support and make sure you’re okay.”

Lawrence-Gabriel admits he is determined to impress Neil Critchley, who returned to Bloomfield Road in the summer.

The former QPR boss signed the 25-year-old in his last stint as Blackpool boss.

"I’ve still got something to prove to the manager,” he stated.

"We’ve got new players who have come in, so there’s always something you need to improve on and you need to show the gaffer why you should be playing.

"I’ve got to do what I do best, and hopefully that’s enough to get me back in the team.”