Joe Gomez has admitted he has found opportunities 'cut short' at Liverpool due to repeated injury issues during his time at the club.
The 24-year-old suffered a cruciate ligament injury just months after signing for the club in 2015 and has endured spells on the sidelines in each of his five full campaigns at Anfield.
Signed by the Reds as an 18-year-old from Charlton, Gomez has significantly developed as a player since his arrival seven years ago.
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Various spells out of the side due to injury also accelerated his maturing process as he battled with the challenge of remaining in the right frame of mind when dealing with such setbacks.
"I had to grow up pretty quickly," he told the Premier League's YouTube channel of his transfer to Liverpool.
"From the basics of paying bills and then I got injured quite early on, which made me wise up about how I need to be professionally and in life in general. It gave me a lot of time to think. After that, on the pitch, I used that time to learn.
"I have evolved as a person and in terms of learning how to manage myself and dealing with pressure, expectations and the psychological battles of coming back from injuries. There have been a lot of ups and downs, but I wouldn't change it."
Gomez's most successful period to date at the club was the title-winning 2019/20 campaign, which saw him feature 43 times in all competitions as Jurgen Klopp's ended a 30-year wait for top-flight silverware.
But history repeated itself last term as the English defender saw his season ended in November 2020, with partner Virgil van Dijk also sidelined.
The summer arrival of Ibrahima Konate has done little to help Gomez's push for first-team minutes, resulting in him making only 12 appearances in all competitions in 2021/22.
Luck has not been on the side of the Liverpool man, who has admitted opportunities that have passed him by have often been out of his control.
"It's always about striving for more. As a team, we want to keep creating history and win more trophies," he said when asked what else he hopes to achieve at Anfield.
"On a personal level, for me, it's about appearances and playing more over a long period.
"At times, I have felt like opportunities have been cut short when I have got injured. It's about playing freely and trying to help the team as much as possible."
