HULL midfielder Ryan Mason faces an agonising wait to finally get the all clear to resume his career.
Mason, 26, was rushed to hospital for emergency surgery after suffering a fractured skull following a clash of heads with Chelsea defender Gary Cahill in January 2017.
A year on, the former Spurs man is waiting for a scan to give him the green light to play again following his horrific injury surgeons likened to the force of a car accident.
Mason has just become a father for the first time and his partner Rachel Peters shared a picture of the new addition to the family on social media.
She said on Instagram: “Welcome to the world baby boy you’ve made all our dreams come true.”
The England international revealed shortly after the accident he had a vision of his girlfriend, Rachel, walking with two children.
Most read in Football
Mason told the Mirror: “I was still in my kit in the ambulance and had a bit of an out-of-body experience.
“It felt peaceful and the last thing I remember in the ambulance was an image of Rachel running on a hill with a dog and a little boy and girl.
DADDY COOL Ryan Mason poses with newborn son as he shows shocking scars from horror injury and admits: ‘It’s hard to put into words the year I have had’
“Looking back it was bizarre.”
At the turn of the year he posted a heartfelt message on New Year’s Eve celebrating just how far he has come over the last 13 months.
He said on Twitter: “It’s hard to put into words the year I have had.
“It’s been a physical and mental challenge that I am proud to have overcome, and to end the year holding my son in my arms is a special feeling. Coming back stronger!”