I would like to thank all of the people who have left messages of support - the response has been overwhelming and I appreciate it very much.

This is a difficult time for my family and myself and I ask people to respect our privacy.

With the help and love of my family, my teammates, all of my friends in football, Aston Villa Football Club and all of the fans, I am sure I will beat this illness and I am determined to do this.

I saw the picture released yesterday by Fabrice Muamba, my fellow player, and it has inspired me, as has all of the support in the past 24 hours.

For me, football will have to take a back seat for a while, but I'm here to support my teammates today and I will continue to support them, as I know they will support me.

Thank you to everybody.