UPBEAT Chris Brown says his injury nightmare has made him even more determined to be a big hit at Blackburn Rovers.

The 29-year-old has not kicked a ball for Rovers since his arrival on a free transfer from Doncaster in June.

But Brown is hoping to return to training on Monday week after undergoing an operation to solve the knee problem that has troubled him since the start of pre-season.

The strapping striker made a number of attempts to play through the pain barrier before he finally went under the knife early last month.

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And with the operation having been declared a success Brown is eagerly counting down the days before he can pull on a Rovers shirt for the first time.

“I’ve stepped up my strength work last week, I started on the treadmill, doing light jogging and stuff, and it’s going well, so I’m pleased,” said Brown.

“I’ve played 70-80 games over the past two seasons and then to join a new team, determined to do well, it was just a freak thing.

“I tried to come back but I was training and not doing myself justice so I finally decided I couldn’t continue – and that’s when the surgeon went in and found the tear.

“But I’m positive now and even more determined to get back and impress.”

Brown, who was the unanimous winner of Doncaster’s player of the year award last season, admits the most frustrating aspect of his stop-start summer was not knowing exactly what the problem was.

“It was awful,” said the former Sunderland, Norwich City and Preston North End frontman.

“We’ve got the best physio staff in the country and I had the scan and nothing showed up and you start doubting yourself and you think, ‘come on, you’ve got to get through it,’ but I physically couldn’t.

“I tried to come back three, four, five times and it just kept on flaring up – and that’s when me and (head of sports science) Dave Fevre sat down and said we had to get it sorted.

“But the rehab is going well, I’m in very good hands with the sports science and physio staff, and I’m going to come back as good as ever.”

Brown did go close to making his first appearance for Rovers when he was named as an unused substitute in the 3-1 defeat at Wolves on August 30.

“Before the Wolves game I’d trained a couple of times, got the feel for it and I was dying to be involved,” said Brown, a two-time promotion winner with both Sunderland and Doncaster.

“I had a conversation with the manager and I felt like I could play. There was a little bit of pain there but again I thought it was going to go.

“It’s just one of those things. Now I’m more determined than ever to prove I’ve got value to the club.”

Brown is full of praise for the Rovers backroom team – and the feeling is mutual.

Physio Neil Fitzhenry said: “We have been delighted with Chris’ work ethic and attitude.

“He is a fantastic athlete and I’m sure it will be a big boost when we can get him out on the pitch.”