Milan veteran midfielder Gennaro Gattuso has vowed to fight back from a potentially career-threatening injury. The 33-year-old has not played since being substituted during his side’s Serie A opener against Lazio on September 9.

Gattuso collided with team-mate Alessandro Nesta and was later diagnosed with sixth nerve palsy, a disorder associated with the dysfunction of the cranial nerve that controls eye movement.

“That (collision) was not the cause of my problem, but it was an incident that helped me discover I had one,” Gattuso said.

“The 20 minutes I played against Lazio were a nightmare. I felt drunk. I could see (Milan team-mate) Zlatan Ibrahimovic in four different positions.”

The 2006 World Cup winner, who has been at Milan since 1999, will be out for at least a further six months. Gattuso is determined to overcome his biggest battle in his career.

“Football is my life. I’m a lucky man,” he said.

“Three weeks ago doctors told me there was a chance I might never play again, but now they are saying that is not the case and I will fight hard to return.

“For a while I was seriously scared about my health and worried for my life. But now that I have undergone several tests I’m somewhat calmer.

“My team-mates know I’m full of enthusiasm, so age is certainly not a problem. As long as the enthusiasm is there, I can keep playing. I hope you will see me back on the football pitch.”