Paris Saint-Germain star Neymar said he had wished for a "new metatarsal" in an emotional speech at a celebration of his 27th birthday.
Neymar was ruled out for 10 weeks after hobbling off in a 2-0 Coupe de France victory over Strasbourg on January 23, meaning he will miss both legs of the Champions League last-16 tie with Manchester United.
The injury was sustained on the fifth metatarsal of his right foot, which he also damaged in February 2018 when he was sidelined for the remainder of that domestic season.
Neymar sported red crutches at an event to mark his birthday and was tearful when he addressed those in attendance.
"What I wanted the most as a birthday present today is a new metatarsal, so I could be on the field fighting and doing what I love the most, which is playing soccer," he said.
"It's been very hard to be on crutches all this time. Every athlete knows how hard that is.
"They [PSG team-mates] are giving me all the strength possible to help me return as soon as possible."
PSG suffered their first Ligue 1 defeat of the season in just their second match since Neymar sustained his injury, going down 2-1 to Lyon on Sunday.
However, they remain 10 points clear of Lille at the top of the table and with two games in hand.
