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'I told the doctors two or three weeks max!' - Alisson thanks Liverpool staff for accelerating his injury recovery
The Reds No 1 says he prayed to return to action as quickly as possible after being sidelined with a shoulder issue at the start of the season
Alisson has thanked Liverpool's staff for accelerating his recovery from injury while revealing he "told the doctors two or three weeks max" after initially being told he could be out for over a month.
Liverpool saw their first-choice goalkeeper sidelined when he sustained damage to his shoulder in training ahead of their meeting with Aston Villa on October 4.
His absence was felt as the Reds suffered a surprise 7-2 thrashing at Villa Park with Adrian filling in between the sticks, and he was also forced to miss the Merseyside derby draw against Everton and the 1-0 win at Ajax in the Champions League.
The 28-year-old was, however, cleared to return ahead of schedule when Sheffield United arrived at Anfield on Saturday, with the Brazilian slotting back into his usual role between the sticks seamlessly as Jurgen Klopp's side ran out 2-1 winners.
Alisson says he was touted for a far longer rehabilitation period at first, but he refused to accept the prognosis and worked his way back to full fitness quicker with the help of the club's specialist medical team and coaches.
“It’s good to be back. I’m really happy. I try to give my best and I have the top physios on my side, helping me to accelerate the recovery process," the Brazilian shot-stopper told a press conference ahead of Liverpool's European clash against Midtjylland on Tuesday.
“As soon as the doctor told me it was four to six weeks, I told him ‘no doc, we go to two or three weeks maximum!’
"He agreed with me, and then we just went for it. I’m really happy to be back, and I want to thank the physios, the fitness staff, the doctors and the goalie coaches who helped me on this process.
“It’s bad not being involved in a football game. It’s the worst thing for a player, but it’s part of the job, injuries. We try to avoid them, but sometimes they happen. I’m glad it was only three weeks, but it was a long three weeks, more like three months!
“Being not involved is always hard, not only Atletico [Madrid] or Aston Villa. You want to help, you want to do what you love to do, help your teammates go for our goals.”
Asked to outline the steps he took to get back on the pitch as quickly as possible, Alisson responded: “I pray a lot! Seriously! But I also did a lot of sessions. I was in every day for five, six hours with the physios having treatment and working with the fitness department, and after two weeks I could do some catches with the goalie coaches.
"Then after two and a half weeks I started to dive, and three days before the [Sheff Utd] match I could work hard, do some hard shooting and catches, full-range diving.
"So on Friday I gave the green light to the boss. I believe in my faith, and working hard helped me in this fast recovery.”
Alisson added on his condition after a testing return to action against Sheffield: “Whenever you have an injury on the ligament – shoulder, ankle or knee – you still feel something weird. It’s not pain, just weird. You feel it for a couple of weeks, but it’s nothing that limits my ability to play. I’m 100 per cent fit to play and comfortable with that.”
