Liverpool midfielder Wataru Endo has detailed the injury that has left him facing a race against time to be fit for the World Cup
Liverpool midfielder Wataru Endo(Image: ANDY BUCHANAN / AFP via Getty Images)
Wataru Endo has opened up on the serious ankle injury that has threatened his World Cup dream – and is targeting a return for Liverpool in the Champions League final at the end of next month.
Endo has been absent since having to undergo surgery after injuring his left ankle during the Premier League win at Sunderland in February.
The midfielder returned to Japan for an operation to have an artificial ligament put in to repair the damage and last month was back at the AXA Training Centre to begin his rehabilitation.
And with the World Cup looming in the summer, Japan national team captain Endo is determined to prove his fitness ahead of the tournament by helping Liverpool in the Champions League showpiece in Budapest on May 30.
FOLLOW OUR LIVERPOOL FC FACEBOOK PAGE! All the latest news and analysis from Anfield on the Liverpool Echo’s dedicated LFC Facebook page
“It was a ligament injury, one that connects one bone to another, and it had completely gone,” said Endo. “Then I decided to fix it. I had two options, to put a plate in the my foot to connect one bone to another, and then another two so four bones had to be connected.
“The second was to put an artificial ligament and I have chosen the second one. It’s easier to have because if I had a plate I’d have had to take it out after three months.
“The doctor in the UK said if I played with the plate in the World Cup, then maybe after World Cup I’d need to take it out and then I’d have another three months out. This artificial ligament only takes three months.
“I decided to do the surgery in Japan. I was thinking if I want to play in the World Cup, it would be the best for me.
“I’m hoping to play in the World Cup. My target is the last weekend of May – the national team has a game then (against Iceland on May 31) or we have a Champions League final! I hope we can make it. At least I have something to achieve – I’m motivated by that.”
Endo was making his first Premier League start of the season at right-back when he picked up the injury at the Stadium of Light making an important defensive clearance midway through second half of Liverpool’s 1-0 win.
And speaking on Kodansha’s Red Machine podcast, the 33-year-old said: “I was waiting quite a while to start a Premier League game. It wasn’t in the position I always play but I just wanted to help the team as we had a lot of injured players.
“I thought I’d played well then unfortunately I got injured. But at least I could show myself.
“If I didn’t get injured then maybe I could have played more games than before, because we’ve had a lot of injuries and the manager has started to make decisions to change more players. Defensively I could help more too. But it’s not hard for me to support the players now.”
Recalling the injury, Endo added: “I was thinking (that) I couldn’t play anymore. (I got up) because Robbo (Andy Robertson) told me ‘we have to defend this corner so if you can just try to do it and then after we defend the corner you go down again’.
“It was painful. The doctor asked me if I could stand up and walk off the pitch but I said no and I was crying a little bit. I was not crying because it was painful, it was because our fans were singing my song and that means a lot to me.”
Up to 70% off Liverpool kits and merch
Kitbag has slashed the price of Liverpool kits and merch with up to 70% off select items.
