Barkley: 'No doubt' I'm going to be the same player after knee injury

New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley believes he'll be the same dynamic rusher upon his return from knee surgery.

"No doubt in my mind," Barkley told reporters Thursday.

Barkley, who suffered a season-ending torn ACL earlier this season, says he avoided the worst-case scenario with his injury.

"They didn't do an MCL repair, they were able to save my meniscus. My MCL healed on its own. The likelihood of me coming back to 100%, what they're saying, is it's kind of all on how you attack it," Barkley said.

The 23-year-old credited Adrian Peterson - who rushed for 2,097 yards after returning from a similar injury in 2012 - for helping him during his recovery.

"Someone who's really important to me would be AP. Obviously, when you hear this injury, the first person that comes to your mind is the season that AP had," the third-year pro said.

Barkley continued: "He put me in contact with his trainer, I was able to ask him a lot of questions. Also, I think the day before surgery, I got to chat with AP for a very long time."

Although Barkley is eligible to receive a contract extension this offseason, he has no interest in discussing money at the moment.

"I don't really focus on it. Not really focused on money or anything right now," Barkley said.

Barkley led the NFL in yards from scrimmage as a rookie in 2018. He's rushed for 2,344 yards over 31 career starts.