Buenos Aires, Nov 5 (IANS) Argentine footballer Jonas Gutierrez, who plays for English team Newcastle, has said he will return to training after his battle with cancer.

The player, who helped his national team win the 2010 South Africa World Cup, said he “will return to training with (Newcastle) in the first days of December”, reported Xinhua.

The 31-year-old midfielder, who was suffering from testicular cancer, said he was “very happy about the (medical) results” doctors announced Monday.

“When I was diagnosed with cancer, I didn’t think why is this happening to me …I decided from that moment on to make every effort and do my best to quickly put it behind me,” Gutierrez said in a radio interview Tuesday.

The former Velez Sarsfield player said he still has to undergo regular checkups every six months for a few years, but was eager to return to the field.

On May 19, 2013, in an English League match against Arsenal, Gutierrez and a rival clashed and he was injured. His poor recovery led doctors to run tests that revealed cancer of the left testicle, and he was operated on in October in Argentina.