Sepp van den Berg has been talking about the extend of the ankle injury he suffered in October, revealing that he 'lost all muscle strength'.
The Liverpool centre-back is currently on a season-long long with Bundesliga side Schalke but has been out of action for the last two months after suffering a torn ankle ligament against FC Augsburg. He had been a first team regular German outfit up until that set-back and is now dealing with the first major injury of his career and one that has required surgery to rectify.
The 21-year-old, who joined the Reds in the summer of 2019 as a teenager, is working his way back to full fitness and is hopeful of once again being available for selection in the second half of the season, but the Dutchman concedes that he didn't realise the gravity of his injury at first.
READ MORE: Every word Pep Lijnders said on Liverpool January transfer plans, Man City return and injury news
As per Revier Sport, Van den Berg said: “People say it looked bad. But I try to forget about it. If I thought about it too much, I might get a bit scared that it would happen again. I couldn’t even realise what had happened at first. Sure, my ankle was swollen and looked bad, but I had the feeling that I would soon be able to get back into training. Mentally, I hadn’t flipped the switch yet.
“My complete focus has been on getting back into team training. Basically, I lost all my muscle strength in my left leg after the operation. And I have to build up those muscles again. That’s what I’m currently doing. It’s about basics. But when I’m back on the pitch with the boys, I want to be better than before.”
Van den Berg spent the previous 18 months on loan with Preston North End, for whom he was a crowd favourite, making 66 appearances in all competitions, scoring twice.
A product of the PEC Zwolle youth ranks, Liverpool paid £1.3million for his services - a figure that could potentially rise to £4.4million with add-ons. He made made four domestic cup appearances for Liverpool's first team during the 2019-20 season but is yet to make his Premier League bow.
READ NEXT:
-
Manchester City get huge triple boost ahead of Liverpool clash
- Four World Cup stars Liverpool are tracking ahead of January transfer window
- Jurgen Klopp refused to let Liverpool players leave Christmas party before 1am after 'losing their minds'
- Sofyan Amrabat asking price named as Liverpool 'head start' in transfer race emerges
- What Ibrahima Konate said after World Cup final shows Liverpool can benefit
