Dundee United new boy Ryan Edwards has already shown he can win the toughest of all battles.
The 26-year-old Liverpudlian central defender will face challenges on the pitch after joining the Tangerines for their Premiership campaign.
United, though, are getting a warrior, someone who earned enormous respect for the way he faced the nightmare of a testicular cancer diagnosis two years ago when a Plymouth Argyle player.
Given the all clear in April 2018, three months after being diagnosed, Edwards not only got back playing again but his career went from strength to strength, first restarting with the Pilgrims then moving on to his current club Blackpool.
Edwards, who had been signed for Argyle by Scots manager Derek Adams in the summer of 2017, was open and honest about his personal journey.
Recalling the long road back from chemotherapy and surgery, he said: “Getting out of the house for a 15 to 20 minute walk with the dog was about it – that tired me out.
“I had to go back to the car one day as I was drained and felt I had nothing left. I was exhausted.
“As time goes on, you start feeling stronger and stronger.”
That April, Edwards received the best of news.
He wrote: “Long, hard few months but I said we’d beat it and we have. It may be able to knock us down but it definitely can’t keep us down.”
Indeed, by that summer, Edwards was back doing pre-season training with the Pilgrims.
Obviously delighted with his own progress, Edwards declared: “I’ve come back in better shape than I thought I would have.
“I worked hard over the summer so I knew I’d come back in good shape but looking at my results for running and the strength tests I’m over the moon.”
He would even go on to score an emotion-packed goal for Argyle on the opening day of that new campaign as they lost 2-1 at Walsall.
Edwards would go on to make a total of 69 appearances for Plymouth before, a week after they were relegated and Adams left the club, he moved to Blackpool last summer on a free transfer.
Leaving Home Park was obviously difficult for him, due to the love and support he got from the fans and staff at Plymouth.
He wrote: “It’s been a crazy two-year journey for obvious reasons but what a club to represent! A massive thank you to everyone involved with the club.
“You all stood by me when I needed your support most and that’s something that will stay with me for all of my days. Hopefully, we cross paths sometime in the future.”
Edwards moved to Blackpool on a two-year contract in June of last year.
He played 27 times in all competitions last season for the League One side, his final game being a 2-1 home win over Bolton Wanderers on February 25.
United boss Micky Mellon has spoken of getting the right types into the club and it looks like Edwards has not just the physical stature but the mental strength and character that he is looking for.
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