Liverpool striker Layton Stewart is back and in between targets after 13 months out with an ACL injury, and he believes the time out has given him mental strength.
Getting injured is never easy for a footballer, particularly for a youngster who, on the cusp of a first-team breakthrough, suffers an injury as serious as Stewart’s.
It was during a campaign in which he scored 17 goals and netted three more in just 18 appearances at academy level that the striker tore his ACL, ending his season in March 2021 and ultimately keeping him out for over a year.
Thirteen months later, having spent his time on the treatment table alongside Tom Hill, Stewart tentatively regressed in an under-19 clash with Sporting CP, before his return home in April.
Less than a fortnight after his return against West Ham, he scored his first goal in a 4-0 thrashing of Leicester.
Stewart has picked up where he left off this time, with three goals in six games, and speaking to LiverpoolFC.com, he described the improvements he made during his long break.
“Before my injury I wasn’t that strong mentally, to be totally honest,” he explained.
“When I had a bad game I was always hard on myself, but since my injury I know I am stronger mentally.
“I know how to deal with big and small steps back and that is helping my game.”
That mental strength helped him push through and score to give under-21 Liverpool hope in their 2-1 loss to League Two side Salford City in the opening match of the EFL Trophy, finding the net in the 88th minute.
Tuesday night brings the second game of Group D as the young Reds visit Rochdale, with Stewart describing clashes with senior opposition as a “tough challenge”.
While he had been hyped with a loan move in the summer, there is a chance the 20-year-old will leave in January, with the EFL Trophy “a different view of what we need to do if we go out on loan and advance our careers”.
However, Stewart’s ultimate goal is to make a step towards the first team, having already trained with Jurgen Klopp “quite a few times this season”, with that mental toughness helping him in his quest.
“I just have to keep working hard and scoring goals for the Under-21s and keep impressing,” he said.
“People like the manager, Pep Lijnders and Vitor Matos are great with young players.
“They are always helping us, talking to us throughout the building and giving us advice.
“We have a manager who gives young guys a chance in the first team if they deserve it, so that’s my goal: to do the best I can and to go in and out of the first team setup in the future.”
Stewart signed a new long-term deal with Liverpool shortly after his injury, binding him to the club until 2025.
