‘Worst injury of my life’: Portsmouth starlet ready to hand side Championship boost after fightback for Liverpool arrival
The arrival from Anfield lifts the lid on just how bad the past five months have been for him, with Championship hopes high after a testing period.
Harvey Blair put the worst injury pain of his life behind him as he revealed the extent of fitness struggles.
And the Liverpool arrival has set his sights on a clear run of availability to aid John Mousinho’s Championship cause, after five months on the sidelines.
Liverpool signing: ‘The worst injury I’ve had in my life’
Blair is two games back from his lay-off, after suffering a serious hamstring injury against Hull City on the final day of last season.
The 22-year-old was hit with the first-half injury when being tackled by Tigers defender Sean McLoughlin, leading to a grade four tear in the problem area. Blair told how it proved a tough period of summer rehabilitation, with setbacks along the way which extended his time on the sidelines.
And the torrid time was the worst the winger has suffered in a life, despite previously having to deal with hamstring, illness and knee meniscus tear issues. Now Blair is looking forward to what he can bring to the table for Pompey, with those problems in the past.
He said: ‘I think the main thing really for me is to stay injury free, I need to stay injury free and then I can show everyone what I can do.
‘It was a grade 4C tear, even I wasn't expecting it to be that severe. It was horrible. It came from the impact of the tackle, but I didn’t expect it to be that bad.
‘That was the worst injury I’ve had in my life. Then the rehab didn’t go as well as I expected it to go. I came back and, not reinjured it, but had a setback. I was doing everything right but it wasn’t healing right.
‘We’re at a good point now, I just need to keep building my fitness, keep going and try to find my way into the team.’
Blair explained how he went through a series of injections to aid his progress and strengthen the problem hamstring.
PRP treatment aids Pompey talent
The platelet rich plasma (PRP) treatment is favoured by some of the game’s biggest stars, using a patient’s own platelets to heal injured tissue. Jordan Williams and Conor Shaughnessy have both gone down the same route after hamstring issues, with Blair also putting in the hard yards in the gym to aid his rehab.
He added: ‘I ended up getting few injections and it helped to speed up the process. It speeds up the healing process and it’s almost like glue.
‘Now I’m hopeful it’s sorted and I just have to make sure I’m doing everything right to ensure my hamstring stays strong. I’ve been doing loads of strength work and my hamstrings are the strongest they’ve ever been, so I just need to keep going.
‘But I feel ready to make a difference now, I’m just waiting for my chance to show what I can do and make a difference.’