‘I had become distant to Jordan’: Adam Lallana reveals Liverpool injury hell impacted his relationship with ‘best mate’ and Anfield captain Henderson
- Adam Lallana has revealed his injury hell last season affected his friendships
- Lallana says he didn’t want to distract Jordan Henderson with his own issues
- The midfielder is determined to put his injury hell behind him and win back place
Liverpool midfielder Adam Lallana has revealed how his injury hell over the past 18 months affected his relationship with Jordan Henderson.
Lallana spent much of last season on the sidelines as a result of a spate of injuries before returning to win a place on the bench for last season’s Champions League final.
However, the 31-year-old has now spoken for the first time about the frustration at the amount of time he’s spent on the treatment table.
Adam Lallana says his injury nightmare affected his friendship with Jordan Henderson
Lallana says he didn’t want to distract Henderson from captaincy with his own problems
Lallana has spent much of the past 18 months of the sidelines following a spate of injuries
‘There were loads of periods during last season when I was sad and angry, not at anyone in particular, just at the situation,’ he told The Times.
‘I was continually battling to contribute, to be dependable to my team-mates because when you get injured, it is almost, not a sign of weakness, but you are not able to do your job.
‘Around then I had become distant to Jordan. I knew how important that period was for him and he had important things to focus on, being captain of the club. I didn’t want him to worry about me.
Lallana is fit again but acknowledges that he faces a fight to regain a first team place
‘I remember one time Jordan picked me up and for the first five minutes, I couldn’t say anything or look at him. But he knew. Eventually, we did speak about what was happening with me. I got it all out.’
Lallana is fit again after recovering from his injury woes but wasn’t named in the squad for Liverpool’s clash with Norwich on the opening day of the season – much to his dismay.
‘I didn’t make the squad for the first game of the season [against Norwich City] and that was a bit of an eye-opener. I didn’t see that happening. I hadn’t experienced that since I was growing up at Southampton.
‘But it is a 60-game season and I look at my last couple of seasons and think just be patient, be persistent and eventually my chance will come.
‘If I am fit, I am sure I will contribute in a big way.’