James McArthur has declared his knee operation a success and insists he will be ready to join the rest of his Hamilton team-mates for pre-season.

The midfielder, 21, was troubled with a torn cartilage in the latter stages of last season but opted to play through the pain barrier in a bid to help Accies retain their SPL status. He has since gone under the knife to cure the problem and was satisfied with the results.

"It was very successful," said the highly-rated youngster. "I went in and got the cartilage trimmed and I'm running again, so I'm very happy with that."

He added: "I broke my ankle when I was a kid but this is the only major injury I've had. I played through the season for 11 or 12 weeks and I'm happy I've had the operation now."

McArthur's attempts at a summer break ended in disaster when he lost his passport and he could now go without a holiday in a bid to be at peak fitness for pre-season training.

"I'm not sure I'll go away," he said. "I want to make sure my leg is fit before I do anything to be honest.

"I'm in most days trying to make sure it's going to be okay for pre-season. I'm doing bike work and starting to run again so I'm happy about that."

Like team-mates James McCarthy and Brian Easton, McArthur was the subject of speculation last term and was linked with a move to Celtic back in January.

However, he insists such speculation helps, rather than hinders, his game.

He told www.acciesfc.co.uk: "It just gives you a wee boost that teams are watching you. It maybe gives you a confidence boost on the park as well, you are trying to impress as well as doing well for the club."