CUMBRIAN footballer Danny Hodgson has said he is 'getting better' on his long road to recovery following a shocking assault in Australia last year.

Danny was struck in the early hours of September 5 last year in a random attack by a 17-year-old.

The blow caused significant injuries and led to him being in hospital for 196 days, including 86 in the intensive care unit at Royal Perth Hospital.

Speaking to Mark Gibson on the Australian radio channel 6PR yesterday, Danny said: "It's a very long recovery, and that's if I do fully recover.

"I'm just taking every single day as it comes at the moment.

"The physios have set me the challenge of trying to walk as much as I can."

READ MORE: Danny Hodgson's attacker sentenced to juvenile detention after 'mayhem'

Danny also revealed he has lost all feeling on his left side - including his arm and hand - due to the damage to his brain caused by the impact of the brutal assault.

"The focus is on trying to get the brain to work again," he said. "Your brain's a complex thing. Different parts of the brain do different things. The part of my brain that's destroyed is the left side function."

He added he's lost his sense of smell - but hopes to recover it.

READ MORE: Brave Danny says 'happier days will come' as he learns to walk again

Danny's dad Peter was alongside his son in the radio studio. He's been staying with Danny and looking after him throughout his recovery process, as has Danny's girlfriend Jess Pollock.

"I'll stay for as long as I need to stay," Peter said, revealing that he's started working out there to help with finances - as the recovery could be very long-term.

"If it's years, it's years," he said. "It is what it is."

The financial difficulties brought by the attack and subsequent recovery were thrown into sharp relief during the interview. As a resident, but not a citizen, Danny qualified for no state aid.

Host Mark Gibson said to Danny: "You moved out here and were playing soccer up at Joondalup. You really captured our hearts. Have you felt that support?"

Danny, who is set to apply for Australian citizenship, said: "Absolutely. Without the people of Western Australia I'd be in a different situation.

"Without donations it would be a real struggle - I'm grateful for everyone here."

A golf day fundraiser is set to be held in Australia on Monday, October 24.