NewsInterview: Why Conor Bradley is so eager to make up for lost time
The 21-year-old went from an astonishing high to more than a month's worth of frustration.
Bradley played a starring role in Liverpool's Champions League win over Real Madrid at Anfield in late November – but it came at a cost.
That Player of the Match display against the European champions ended in the 87th minute because of an injury he instantly believed was serious.
His instincts were correct – the issue would sideline him for six weeks.
"It was really frustrating," the full-back tells Liverpoolfc.com. "I was just really disappointed after the game because I sort of knew it was going to be a bad enough injury.
"I felt like I did really well that night, so it was really disappointing. But I knew I just had to work hard to get myself back in the best shape possible for whenever I'm back because there's a lot of games to play.
"Obviously working with the physios, Joe Lewis and Dave [Rydings], helped me massively in getting back fit as quick as possible.
"It's difficult, especially at the start because you're asking, 'Why has this happened to me again?'
"But you've just got to keep working hard every day and make sure that you're ready whenever you come back."
Bradley is now back.
His return came with a late appearance off the bench against Manchester United, which was followed by a start at Tottenham Hotspur in midweek.
He's hoping for another opportunity in Saturday lunchtime's Emirates FA Cup tie with Accrington Stanley.
"Really happy to be back," the No.84 continues. "Obviously it was unfortunate to get the injury whenever I did, I felt like I was in a good moment, especially after the Real Madrid game.
"But I've worked hard, got myself back fit and I'm happy to have played the last two games. Hopefully I get a runout tomorrow as well.
"It's tough whenever you've been out for so long – six weeks. It is tough to just get the rhythm back and get back to playing. But I'm really enjoying being back. Obviously I missed it loads for the time I was out, so really happy to be back.
"There's still loads of games to play this year, so I'm sure there'll be plenty of opportunities to get a chance to play. I've just got to keep going now and keep working hard."
Liverpool's journey in this season's FA Cup begins with that hosting of League Two Accrington at Anfield.
"It's going to be a massive occasion for them," Bradley says. "I've seen on my phone that they've got a couple of Liverpool fans in their team, so it's going to be a big occasion for them.
"But we've just got to make sure we're ready for it and ready to match what they bring to us.
"I think we've just got to take control of the game as quickly as possible. Just get into a rhythm of keeping the ball and making them work.
"Hopefully we can do that tomorrow and get the win and get through to the next round."
Arne Slot's side head in to the game with the rare taste of defeat in their mouth following the 1-0 loss at Spurs on Wednesday night.
Bradley and his teammates are looking to use the swift turnaround between fixtures to their benefit.
The Northern Ireland international finishes: "It's not nice whenever you have had a loss to have to wait another week to be able to play again.
"So having that game three days later and being able to bounce back and hopefully getting back to winning ways is really good. We're all looking forward to tomorrow."