Wataru Endo has provided the first real update on his foot injury after surgery in February, ruling himself out for the remainder of the season with Liverpool.
Wataru Endo Injury Update: All You Need to Know
- Season over: Endo has all but ruled himself out of Liverpool’s remaining fixtures following surgery on his left foot in February.
- Recovery milestone: He has only just been cleared to walk unaided this week and is currently restricted to light gym work.
- Return target: While a late-May return is possible, his primary focus is being fit to captain Japan at the World Cup in June.
Endo was forced to undergo surgery to correct ligament damage in his left foot after an injury suffered in his only Premier League start of the campaign against Sunderland.
The midfielder travelled back to Japan for the operation and there has been little in the way of an update from Liverpool regarding their No. 3.
But Endo has given an insight into his injury, his recovery and when he is hoping to return in a new interview for his RED MACHINE podcast.
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“The injury is quite hard to explain. It was a ligament injury. The ligament is completely gone. In the end I needed surgery to fix it,” he explained.
While Endo is targeting a late-May return and could therefore be available for the Champions League final on May 30 if Liverpool make it to Budapest, there is little chance of the 33-year-old being involved.
Instead his main focus is on recovering in time for the World Cup, where Japan play the Netherlands (June 14), Tunisia (June 21) and Sweden (June 26).
“I had two options: to put a plate on my foot to connect four bones [or] to put an artificial ligament in the first and second bones,” Endo continued.
“I chose the second one, an artificial ligament, because it’s a bit easier to do the rehab.
“To put a plate in I needed to take it out after three months.
“The doctor in the UK said I could play with a plate at the World Cup and after the World Cup maybe I’d need to take it off and then I’d need another three months to rehab.
“This artificial ligament just needs three months, I don’t need to take it off.”
Endo has recently returned to the AXA Training Centre where he is able to take part in light exercise in the gym, but he remains a long way off his comeback as he has only just been cleared to walk unaided.
“I’ve finally started walking this week, so it’s been going well,” he explained.
“I come here for recovery sessions. I change, have some breakfast and then mainly I do walking or some exercise in the gym.
“That’s it, I can’t do a lot of things to be honest. I walk normally is my rehabilitation at the moment.”
Despite how difficult the process is, the end goal of what would almost certainly be a final World Cup captaining Japan is keeping Endo going.
“I have something to achieve, to play at the World Cup is my target at the moment so I’m very, very motivated,” he smiled.
Endo will enter the final year of his contract with Liverpool this summer, but despite his limited role under Arne Slot this season there is no indication the veteran is looking to leave at this stage.