A block tackle in training put the cruellest of curbs on Nathan Patterson ’s Premier League breakthrough.
But the Scotland full-back insists a snapped ligament has only delayed his arrival in the big time.
A challenge with Dele Alli saw the youngster’s ankle buckle just five minutes from the end of the session just a day before he made his top tier bow for Everton against West Ham.
It wasn’t just a ligament that snapped in that moment two days in April.
Patterson’s hopes of finally breaking into Frank Lampard ’s starting XI were suddenly shattered having had just 45 minutes of FA Cup action against Boreham Wood under his belt since his January move from Rangers.
A lot for a 20-year-old with a £12m price tag - potentially rising to £16m - to contend with.
But the right-back is made of stern stuff and insists nothing will stop him proving he is Premier League class when he gets back up to full fitness.
If anything his frustration will drive him on to succeed. And he knows the two most important people - his bosses Lampard and Steve Clarke - have got his back on that one.
The target from the moment he came through surgery was to make the Scotland squad for this month’s World Cup play-off and Nations League triple header.
He’s done that. And although the deal between his club and country bosses was always to see him sit out last week’s Hampden showdown with Ukraine Patterson insists he is now ready to be unleashed against Armenia.
He said: “As soon as the injury happened I pretty much focused on getting back fit.
“I’ve had very few days off, just working away to make sure I got into the Scotland squad.
“It was a block tackle on Dele in training. I have gone over on my ankle and snapped the ligaments.
“I knew straight away it was a bad one.
“It was the last five minutes at the end of training and I was due to play the next day. I had waited a long time for the opportunity.
“It was just unfortunate. Dele came up straight away after training just apologising. It wasn’t his fault.
“You just need to move on. That’s my first proper injury and my first surgery.
“It’s another step in my career but I’d rather it came early and I can push on when I’m fit.
“Once I knew it was possible to make the Scotland squad I made sure I got there.
“I’d rather all this stuff was coming when I’m younger so I know what it feels like when I’m older as well.
“When you’re a footballer you just want to play as many games as you can so you can get yourself into a good run of form.
“Obviously I’ve not had that yet, and I’m looking forward to the time when I can get that.
“I’m still young, I’ve still got a long contract there as well, so I’ll keep working hard and when the time comes, I’ll be ready.”
Everton came through a relegation scrap unscathed and Patterson is confident he is ready to put his own battle behind him with the help of Lampard.
Asked if he believes Lampard has his back, Patterson replied: “Yes, I’m confident.
"He likes young players and wants to develop young players and bring them through.
"He wants a young squad so I’ll make sure when I go back for pre-season I hit the ground running and give them something to think about.
“I’ve had a good few chats with the manager. He was always making sure I’m ready, he didn’t want to throw me in at the deep end with the situation the cub was in.
“It was important we got as many points as we could to stay up."
Of course, it’s not just Lampard that Patterson needs to impress.
Scotland boss Clarke is a huge fan of the right back and contacted Lampard directly to discuss the youngster’s minutes on the park before injury curtailed his campaign.
In his six months at Goodison, Patterson has featured twice as many times for Scotland as his club - those being the friendly draws with Poland and Austria just days before his injury hell began.
Having to watch the defeat to Ukraine last week from the stands was “frustrating”, he admits.
But with his injury woes behind him he’s ready to nail down the right-back slot.
He said: “If you’re willing to work hard for it on and off the pitch, it can be your position.
“It’s great obviously for the national team gaffer to have the confidence and belief in you.
“You can only take that onto the pitch and use it as motivation and confidence.
“When you’ve got a manager who believes in you and puts you in the team from the start that’s only going to benefit you.”
Whether Patterson is in from the start against Armenia at Hampden remains to be seen.
But should he get the call in the return tie in Yerevan next week then he is well aware of the wall of heat awaiting Clarke’s troops having played for Rangers against Alashkert last August.
He said: “It’s warm! Hopefully there’s plenty of water breaks as you can’t breathe half way through the games. It’s that bad.
“Just in the warm-ups, you realised just how hard to was to get your breath back after making one run.
“It’s good the the first game is at Hampden. We’ll be used to it obviously - the cold nights.
“That’s the weather we like.”
