Martin Kelly targets injury return
Martin Kelly is targeting a return to action before the end of the season - and he believes he will come back fitter and stronger than before his injury.
The England defender has been absent since sustaining an ACL rupture in his right knee during our match against Manchester United in September.
On Friday, Liverpoolfc.com announced that Kelly had signed a new long-term deal at the club, and the 22-year-old Academy graduate cannot wait to resume his playing career.
"I've been taking my time with this injury and making sure that I'm spot on with all parts of the rehab," he told the official website.
"This is not an injury that you can mess about with, so I've been taking it steadily. We're hitting all the targets and I should be fit before the end of the season.
"It's been a long rehab regime. It's a daily routine that changes. There are different stages in the ACL rehab and the main concept is that time is the best healer.
"If you have a six-month lay-off, you have got to start from day one and I think the first stage was difficult - that was the healing process. But now I'm at the stage where I'm over the hill. I'm training outside this week.
"I did a strength test on Friday and I'm looking really strong in both legs. My right leg is catching up to my left. All the other areas; my core, my balance, my strength work in my lower and upper body have progressed since I was fit. All the tests are showing that I am going to come back stronger than what I was beforehand.
"With the medical staff and the management behind me, I'll come back a lot stronger. I have had this time to remould my body."
Kelly is no stranger to injury lay-offs having missed almost two years with a back problem during his rise through the Academy.
He is appreciative of the club's ongoing support.
"They have shown great support for me," he said. "I hope that them giving me a new contract means they can see the talent that I have got when I am fit.
"If I had not been injured, I would have pushed on in my career. But I'm only 22, so I've got at least 10 years left of playing football and with the right team behind me and with the determination I have, my expectations are high.
"An experience like this makes you stronger. It makes you stronger mentally. I had my first operation on my back when I was just 17 and that was hard to go through. So, mentally, I'm probably one of the strongest characters that you will come across.
"But I think it's about having the right players and the right manager alongside you to help you manage your rehab - that is important.
"You have to be focused 100 per cent on playing football. And that's my life: I love playing football and I love playing for Liverpool Football Club."
