Curtis Jones has opened up on his injury nightmare at Liverpool, revealing the club's medical staff have told him the bone issue is "something they have never seen before".
And the midfielder explained how he has been carefully managing the long-term complaint with the help of a specialist and an unusual rehabilitation schedule that caused him to miss Saturday's 4-1 loss at Manchester City, despite technically being fit to play.
The England Under-21 international has been limited to just three starts all season for Jurgen Klopp and has been dealing with a stress problem in the tibia of his right leg that was first detected in the closing stages of the Community Shield win over Man City in late July.
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Jones made just his first Premier League start since October in Tuesday night's goalless draw at Chelsea, which came after he had sat out the defeat to City on Saturday entirely, due to the specific way it is being treated.
In a revealing chat following the draw at Chelsea, the Liverpool Academy graduate explained how his injury is being strictly managed by the club's cautious medical team, which is why he was absent from the match-day squad at the Etihad on Saturday lunchtime.
"No [I wasn't injured Saturday], but I have been on a schedule where a specialist is now on board and I am only allowed to train for four days on the pitch and then I have to have a day off," Jones said.
"So if the day off comes at the same time as the game then I can't do much. If the injury is always going to be an ongoing thing but the staff have handled it well. It was a difficult one but they have handled it well and I am back now. The enjoyment is back now as well so I am happy.
"It's a stress response on the bone. It's still the same thing [from earlier in the season]. It's kind of just going and coming back again. It's frustrating, that is what I am saying.
"It's something where they have said it is something they have never seen before. It came back three times, so yes, it's been a hard time. But the staff have handled it well and like I said, there is a specialist on board now so we just follow the plan.
"You just have to rest it. In terms of the pain and stuff now, that's gone. But then, I think it's going back to when I had a run of games where I think I played five and I started three, we all thought it'd gone then.
"And then after the games it came back, so I think it is just about managing how much I am on the pitch but at the same time it is hard because at the same time, if I never go and train then how can the manager pick me? So, you know, it is hard.
"I've not had luck really but I've not really had the chance where I can come into the team and play. I understand the situation that the whole of the team is in and I understand there is no cup game there where I can maybe come in and play, so it is hard. But I am back and happy and stuff, so we'll see."
Having turned in an industrious performance in midfield against Chelsea on his first start since the 2-0 win over Napoli in the Champions League on November 1, Jones is targeting a strong finish to the campaign from a personal perspective ahead of what is expected to be a big summer at Anfield.
The 22-year-old spoke of having to regain the trust of a manager who has not selected him for over five months, owing largely to the injury troubles that continue to plague him.
He added: "At the start of the season I came back fit and I was up for it, thinking I am coming here and I had set a goal for a certain amount of goals and assists but as time went on that changed. Now I am at the point of keeping myself fit and I just want to play the game again, so that is what I am doing now.
"The manager told me to be myself. I have been off for a while, so I thought I'd come in and try to be steady. I was trying to do too much. I just wanted to get on the ball, be me and gain confidence again, so that is what I tried to do. So I am happy I took the next step and we'll see what happens next with the games coming up and stuff.
"I wouldn't really say it was a game where I was able to get on the ball and dribble and shoot really. I thought they had a lot of the ball. It was a game that was more about gaining the manager's trust again.
"I found out [on Monday] that I was playing. We were doing shape work and he (Klopp) picked his team and I saw I was in. I was excited. I wouldn't say I was shocked but for a long time now I have been in and battling to get back into the team. So I have been doing that for months and months and then the time came, so I am happy to be back.
"I've been out for a while, as I said, so he has not really had a chance to see me in a game. There have not been many games where I can play. But I was back in there today and I think I have given him a decent little cameo to think about. It's been a hard time having been injured for a while and it's an up and down time but now I am back and I am excited, so it was a good step."
Liverpool are expected to significantly restructure their midfield department this coming summer, with a whole host of transfer targets still being assessed by the club's recruitment team.
Borussia Dortmund's Jude Bellingham remains the primary target while there is also interest to varying degrees in Chelsea duo Mason Mount and Conor Gallagher as well as Wolves' Portugal international Matheus Nunes.
With Naby Keita, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and James Milner slated to leave as things stands, the centre of the pitch is set to undergo a huge makeover this coming summer but Jones is planning for the long term as a Liverpool player and says he is not concerned by the number of players linked to the club or the profile of those who they are interested in.
He said: "I couldn't care, no. You know I am a confident lad and I have the backing of the staff. If they turn around and say they think I need to leave or go out on loan then you know there are options there that I already know of anyway.
"So it's not something that we have spoken about at the club and it is not like they have said: 'Look, we're going to buy him, you might have to leave, you might have to do this or do that'. You might hear small things in the press but they just make up things to keep themselves around!
"But I've not heard anything, so I am here to play. Of course I [back myself]. Of course. It doesn't matter if I leave. I think I can show I am good enough to come back but we'll see. I am not worried."
Victories for both Newcastle and Manchester United on Wednesday night leave Klopp's side 10 points adrift of the top four with as many games left to play of what has been a tough season for the Reds.
League leaders Arsenal are next up for Liverpool on Easter Sunday but Jones remains convinced a stirring finish to the campaign can see the club ensure they are in the Champions League next season.
"Of course it is possible," he said. "We've seen we're a team who have done it all in the past and we can do it again. The lads, like I said there, I just think it is a small blip and we turn up in big games. We turn up in big games and it's Arsenal next, so we'll see.
"That's just football. You can't expect us to [always dominate], I mean you would in terms of the players and the staff that we have, but for five years [we've performed]. I came around the team when I was about 18, so for five years I've played in finals every year and there's going to be a point where there is going to be a blip.
"But the players and the staff that we've got...it's just one of those things that happens but it also fires us up for next season so we're all excited. I just see it as a blip."
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