We probably have a lot more bad days than good days when you're in rehab,
because ultimately you're doing something that's not what you want to do.
The support at this time, which is a really tough time for me,
not being able to do what I love doing,
I've had nothing but positive feedback from the fans,
for me, I can't thank them enough,
so I make sure I keep working as hard as I can to come back and make them happy.
Well, Ox, let's go back to the Roma game.
Can you remember much about the hours leading up to the game?
Yeah, we were all very excited and we all fully believed this was our chance
to make it to the final.
And it all started off just as you expect it to at Anfield on a Champions League night,
the crowd was brilliant, the atmosphere was brilliant,
it felt like a really big game.
And then, yeah, it wasn't a good end for me after 20 minutes,
but that's how it goes sometimes.
Did you know it was bad straightaway?
Yeah, I mean, I've had loads of kicks over the years
and I'm not really too fussed about them, I get kicked and I don't like to roll around,
I like to get back up pretty quickly even if it hurts,
but this one, straightaway, I thought,
"I'm in a bit of trouble here, something bad's happened."
Probably Dejan Lovren's reaction, he was stood over me, looking down, doing this,
I was like, "You're not helping me, mate."
So I think we all knew from my reaction, I don't really react like that,
that something bad had happened.
I remember sitting in the recovery room in the tunnel,
I just said, "Is it ACL? Is it bad?
"Just be honest with me, just tell me so I can get my head around it."
And they kind of said,
"We're worried about that, but we don't know, we're gonna have to check it."
And obviously, as it turned out, it was.
I can still remember Jürgen Klopp talking about the game afterwards,
and you consider how big a result it was, it was still probably at the forefront of his mind
how disappointed he was, the impact it had had on you,
has he been a big supporter for you in this whole process?
Yeah, he's been massive for me.
Whenever I see him he's always got a smile on his face,
he's really positive and keeps me in his thoughts,
and when he talks about the team he'll mention me, which is obviously really nice,
especially when the boys are doing so well.
The important thing as well, he's given me time, he's sort of said,
"Look, we know how long this is gonna be, don't worry about it,
"it's not a problem, get yourself right and then we'll go again."
Which, again, is really nice to hear.
You've had a nice little bromance going on as well with the guy who's supported you
alongside that rehab in Rhian Brewster, who's had a similar injury.
It probably sounds like a bit of a bizarre question,
but does it help having somebody that is there in the same boat?
Yeah, massively.
It does, because we probably have a lot more bad days than good days
when you're in rehab, you're in here with the lads every day,
you have your laughs and jokes with them, and then at around 11 o'clock, 12 o'clock,
whatever the time they're training, they put their boots on and off they go.
You're just sort of left in a silent room doing your gym,
and it's those moments that are the most difficult ones,
especially when it's gonna be a long process
and it's gonna be this every day. It's not easy, so it's nice for me to be able to
have a younger lad that I can sort of guide through it as well.
I had injuries when I was a similar age to him. I used to be one of them,
I'd turn up ten minutes before training, put my boots on, no stretching, run out.
And then you've got to realise, it's probably the first time in your life
where your body's had six months off playing football - ever.
Your body's stopped doing what it's used to doing every single day.
It's not trying to go back to playing with your mates in the park,
it's high-level, high-intensity every single day, and then matches,
you start breaking down and your body can start feeling things.
Cos I know these things, I can keep pushing him through it,
but Rhian's been brilliant, he's a great lad and I don't really have to tell him too much.
A lot of the time he's checking in on me, I'll be honest!
He's always so positive and he's just got that youthful enthusiasm about him,
which, again, is really good to have around, it keeps me going.
And he's just decided to leave me,
so selfish of him to get himself back out on the pitch and leave me in here!
But I'm glad to see him pushing on now, he's gonna be getting closer now,
so that's really good and I look forward to seeing what he can do on the pitch now.
You spoke about the fans as well, didn't you, the support they've given you,
that seemingly has priceless for you in this whole process as well.
You can't ask for anything more, that's what keeps you going as well,
when you've got the support of the fans behind you,
whether it's them giving you the time, respecting the injury
and giving you the time to come back and do what you need to do to come back,
that helps massively for one. And when they remind you that you're missed,
they can't wait to see you back out there,
it's just little things like that that keep you going massively.
I've had injuries in the past where it's been difficult,
because pressure from fans has been, "He's injured again"
or, "We can't trust him, he's always injured", or...
I've got injured here and had nothing but positive feedback from the fans,
for me I can't thank them enough for that and that's what keeps me going every day,
to come back and try and reward their patience and their support
with hopefully getting back on the pitch and performing to the level I was before,
and even better hopefully.
What does this space signify for you, Alex?
You could be arriving when it's dark, leaving when it's dark,
is it a love-hate relationship?
Yeah, it's kind of a home away from home at the moment.
I probably spend more time in here than anywhere else at the minute,
so, yeah, this is me every day in here.
If I knew you were coming around I'd have had a little tidy up for you!
No, I've been working in here this morning.
On a dark day it can be a little bit gloomy in here and not too nice,
but we've got a lovely window there to gaze out upon the beautiful Melwood pitches.
So you'll often find me stood at the window watching the boys train most days.
I was gonna say, it seems almost cruel that you're looking out on them,
I wonder whether that's a deliberate thing, cos that's your motivation,
that's where you want to be again.
Yeah, it's like a bit of window shopping, that's what you want,
you want to be doing that and you just can't, but that's the way it is.
It's good to see the lads training,
it gives me a good chance to watch Robbo struggling to cross a ball in,
and give him a bit of stick when he comes in.
But, no, I'll either watch from upstairs or watch from there,
I'll watch the lads, whenever they're on this pitch it's like a treat,
and then get back to the work, but this is the hub, this is where it all happens for me.
Physios, staff, I know you've become really close to Richie Partridge in this process,
cos he's been everywhere with you, hasn't he?
Yeah, Richie's had a great year, Richie has!
He's had a lot of fun.
But, no, he's been brilliant for me.
He knows as well, I think the biggest thing is, it's a mental battle,
some days too much can be too much, if that makes sense.
There's days we have in rehab where we're just not performing well,
mentally we're just not fully ready, we've had a couple of setbacks,
or your knee's a bit sore for the whole week and you're getting frustrated with it.
Richie's good at seeing those moments and saying,
"We'll just do this today, we'll leave that,
"get yourself home, come again tomorrow and we'll start fresh."
And then just little bits and bobs where he can help me out,
a lot of my friends and family, obviously my girlfriend as well, are all down in London.
So he'll try and give me a later start maybe on a Monday
so I can go back to London for the weekend and come back up in the morning,
so it's little things like that, you're still doing the work but he's very flexible.
It's almost like little wins, little excitement - "Lovely, I can have an extra night back home."
You're not missing any work, he's just gonna stay a little bit later on Monday for me to do it,
and they're the things that get you through.
I can't thank him enough for that, but he hasn't got me back fit yet,
so I can't get him too carried away.
Ox, on the walk out here, I didn't realise how poignant it was,
it's the first time you've been out here since before the injury.
Yeah, the only time I've been out here, I pulled one of the bikes out onto the patio
when it was a bit sunny, to get out the cave for half an hour to do my bike session.
But other than that I've not been on the grass, so it's probably six months, yeah.
What about being back at Anfield? You mentioned before about going to the games,
are you a poor spectator, are you desperate to be back out there again?
Yeah, I struggle to go to the games. For me that's when it's a bit more frustrating,
when you're there. It's all part and parcel of it,
the boys, Adam when he was injured last year,
even when Rhian was injured for parts last year they'd all come to the games,
so that's the important thing, to go and show support for the boys,
sort of stay around it and be there.
But obviously when you're at the games watching,
you've got the feel of the atmosphere and the crowd
and what's happening on the pitch a bit more, and that's when it becomes more frustrating.
So I'm probably better at watching from the sofa for now.
What about targets now, what are you looking at?
Are we gonna see you again before the end of the season, do you think?
I hope so. The next target for me is to build up more in the gym, back on to...
Back towards being able to run outside again, start plodding around the pitches,
I can't wait for that. I'll probably have to do two months of running,
which is not really my favourite thing either,
and then once the ball comes out it sort of speaks for itself then,
it becomes easier. So I've already started passing the ball and stuff inside,
which feels really good. From when you get outside you feel a lot closer
and it'll probably get harder again when that happens.
A lot of the boys, and even the injuries I've had before,
that's when it gets harder, cos you're outside for two weeks, three weeks,
you feel great, you feel really good and you feel like you can train,
you're on this pitch, the boys are on that pitch and you can see them again,
you sort of feel like you're being held back.
And then, yeah, hopefully then back into training and I'd love to be able to
make an appearance at least before the end of the season,
depending on what we're doing.
If I'm really needed, even when I'm back I won't be fully at the races or fully fit,
so it would be nice just to get a few appearances before the end of the season,
probably more mentally to prove that I can do it,
and then have a good pre-season and start fresh next season.
But I know when I get on the pitch, or if I manage to get back on the pitch,
I won't be thinking, "It's just nice to be out here",
I'll be wanting to try and do well, score, try and help the boys win,
and if I'm needed for any emergencies,
I'm gonna have to pull out some good performances,
and I'll be looking to do that as well.
Well, it's great to see you still smiling, we can't wait to see you back.
Cheers, mate, thank you.
- All the best. - Cheers.