Diogo Jota has admitted he was “not expecting” to feature in Liverpool’s 2-0 win over Burnley after being sidelined for over a month.
The 26-year-old had missed the Reds’ last eight games with an unspecified muscle injury and had trained just twice in the build-up to Liverpool’s Boxing Day trip to Turf Moor.
Jurgen Klopp decided to include Jota in his matchday squad, to the surprise of the club’s medical staff, and he repaid his manager’s faith by climbing off the bench to scored Liverpool’s second goal in stoppage time – sealing the win that took the club back to top of the Premier League table.
“It’s massive, it’s a special feeling. It was a crazy 24 hours and I was not expecting to be in this squad list, to be honest,” Jota admitted to the club’s official website about his return. “I was already at home when I found out I needed to travel back out again to train with the team, but from that moment on I just felt I needed to do this.
“I had some special people in the crowd today, my family, and they came over for Christmas. It was great to get the win, score and be back on the pitch and get these three points. I think it was the best Christmas gift for everyone here.
He continued: “I trained with the team for the last couple of days obviously, but it’s like ‘be ready for this’.
“I’m ready for this, that’s why we work and it was such a special feeling knowing I would probably come on today, and to be back with a goal is always special.”
Klopp admitted after the game that Liverpool‘s medical department had wanted Jota to complete more training before returning to action, but he’d overruled them and made a judgment call that he thought was in the best interests of the squad.
“We sneaked him in somehow on the squad list because he trained only twice and the medical department wanted to give him extra training and I said he can have that in Burnley,” Klopp revealed.
“He had that tonight and now he can train tomorrow properly and then he will be ready for Newcastle [on Monday], which is really helpful. 2-0, no injuries, all good.”
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