Jamie Carragher has admitted that returning from a broken leg was seen as a competition for him despite the severity of the injury.
Carragher, who was sidelined back in 2003 after ex-Blackburn Rovers man Lucas Neill flew into a challenge at Anfield, said the rivalry between him and fellow former team-mate Milan Baros kept him going in a mental capacity.
Baros, who broke his ankle in the same game against Rovers some 22 years ago, was viewed as a competitor to Carragher, with the Sky Sports star admitting he raced to be back quicker than him to show his mental toughness.
'The doctor kept saying that I got lucky with the injury', says Jamie Carragher
“The day I’d broken my leg, Milan Baros had broken his leg in the same game," began Carragher, speaking on the latest episode of The Overlap's Fan Debate, brought to you by Sky Bet.
"He broke his leg before me and our doctor went with him to the hospital, so when I went into the dressing room, I was with the Blackburn doctor. The doctor kept saying that I got lucky with the injury.
“I’m on crutches on the coach, everyone is going, ‘Oh, you’re lucky it was a terrible tackle.’ When I got home that night, my leg felt like it had a heartbeat in it.
"The first time I saw our doctors the next morning, he looked at me for 10 seconds and told me I’d broken my leg. I didn’t know I’d broken my leg until the next day.
“The point I’m making is that because Baros had broken his leg on the same day, it was a competition, I wanted to get back before him. I was told it’d be six months, and I was back in four months.”
Carragher somehow managed to hobble off the pitch, but after watching the challenge back, it is surprising Neill wasn't suspended for longer, given he really lunges into the tackle. See for yourself down below...
In FourFourTwo's view, Carragher's leg break didn't appear to be as bad as the likes of Luke Shaw's or even Aaron Ramsey's in recent years. The Liverpudlian can count himself lucky that he even managed to walk off the pitch!
Liverpool are back in Premier League action this weekend, as they take on Southampton at Anfield.
