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It was a cruel blow for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. Liverpool were moving towards the Champions League final when the England midfielder went down during the semi-final at AS Roma. The player would soon learn that surgery would be necessary. He would miss playing for his country at the World Cup and probably a big chunk of the Premier League next season.
But Chamberlain has refused to let the darkness of long-term injury cover him over. His messages following the injury have been positive, as has his continued and visible support of his team and his teammates.
Now, there’s some actual positive recovery news for the Ox from the actual experts. The player has recently commented on his convalescence to the English FA’s social media folks.
“Yeah it’s alright,” Oxlade-Chamberlain said of the famous knee.
“Saw the surgeon just now. He’s happy with everything so we’re moving in the right direction.
“It’s just going to be a long process, a boring one but that’s life.”
No date has been, or likely will be, set for AOC’s return to training. The initial prospect was a nine-month stretch of hard recovery. That would be a daunting future to accept for any footballer. But it’s part of the game and the ex-Arsenal man has shown himself to be mentally strong enough to deal with this set-back in his career.
For now, the surgeon is happy, the player is working hard and we’re maybe just a few months out from an official recovery workout compilation/music video. So, silver linings.