Paul Glatzel interview: 'Ox told me to stick at it - I can't wait to be back'
Paul Glatzel has revealed his gratitude to Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain for the invaluable support and advice the senior star provided during his injury lay-off.
Glatzel, who turns 19 today, is making good progress as he continues his long-term rehabilitation from an ACL injury sustained in pre-season last summer.
Oxlade-Chamberlain, who previously spent a year on the sidelines himself with a serious knee injury, has become a role model for his younger teammate.
"I look at the season Ox has had quite a lot because I know he had a tough injury like me," Glatzel told Liverpoolfc.com.
"I had a conversation with him a few weeks ago about it and was comparing his rehab with the stage that I'm at, and he said I just need to keep going and focus and trust the physios.
"I'm grateful to all of the physios how they have all helped me so far and I just need to trust them, like Ox said, and hopefully I can get back on the pitch if I keep working hard.
"It was great for me to hear that from Ox and for me to know that if I stick to it I will be back, and I will be back to the form I was hitting before this injury. I can't wait to get back."
Glatzel was born in Liverpool and also qualifies to play international football for Germany through his parents.
The striker converted the winning penalty in the FA Youth Cup final victory over Manchester City last season and racked up 28 goals in total for the U18s.
His form duly caught the attention of Jürgen Klopp and he trained with the first team as they began their summer schedule ahead of 2019-20.
But Glatzel's progress was cruelly halted when he went down with the injury during the pre-season friendly with Tranmere Rovers at Prenton Park.
Now, after stepping up his recovery programme in recent weeks, the forward is hopeful he might be able to play some minutes before the end of this term.
"I've just started going back on the pitch in the last few weeks," he explained.
"I've just been doing some light jogging and strength stuff in the gym. I'm feeling strong now and it's just getting there, getting back up to fitness and getting my sharpness back.
"I've been working in the gym for six months since my operation. I think I've got about two months left [of my rehabilitation] now and I can't wait to get back on the pitch, get training and playing.
"Obviously when you've been stuck in the gym a long time and you don't really go outside, you don't feel the grass, so when you do go out it feels good and you realise that you are one step closer to getting back out training.
"You can see the lads out there training while you are in the gym and you know you are stuck there for a while, especially with my long-term injury, and you just want to get back out there playing.
"That's why you do all you can in the gym and work hard to make sure you can get out there as fast as you can."
Glatzel will remain patient regarding a prospective comeback, however.
"Not necessarily a date or game but I think we are looking at two months or something like that, maybe the start of April," he added.
"Obviously, I don't want to rush anything because it's a long-term injury and the season will be nearly finished so I just want to get right for pre-season, but that's what I'm aiming for.
"When I had my operation the surgeon said that I should still get a little football at the end of the season so that's what I'm hoping for and that will mean I will be ready for pre-season."
Watch our full interview with Paul Glatzel on this month's Academy Show, which premieres on LFCTV on Thursday night at 7.30pm GMT.