Norwich ace Matt Jarvis opens up on his 31 MONTHS of injury hell ahead of comeback
IT MAY sound harsh but you could be forgiven if you had forgotten about Matt Jarvis.
A reminder: he impressed at Wolves, joined England’s one-cap wonder club and then moved to West Ham for £10.75million.
He joined Norwich a few years ago... but what happened after that?
The answer is, quite a lot — even if he has not played a professional match since May 2016, a 3-0 defeat for the Canaries at Everton.
Speaking exclusively to SunSport, the winger described how painful the last 31 months have been, both physically and mentally.
Jarvis said: “I’ve been extremely frustrated and disappointed.
“I've had three operations, I've got back from each one and then something else has picked up.
“Every time I think I'm there, the lights stop glowing.”
A medial reattachment was followed by an operation to fix an ankle micro-fracture.
He then went under the knife a third time to sort iliotibial band friction syndrome in the knee.
But he made his comeback for Norwich’s Under-23s in a 2-2 draw with Wolfsburg in the Premier League International Cup last Thursday and Jarvis, still only 32, is now raring to go again with the club flying high in the Championship.
He said: “Not being able to do what you’re paid and love to do is the worst thing. It’s incredibly tough.
“Because I’ve not played, I’m refreshed in some way. I’ve really missed it, it’s been the hardest period of my life.
“At the weekend you're sat watching, feeling helpless. I hate watching when I can't play. It's horrible.
“I’ve certainly had days where it's very difficult but I know I'm going to get back fit, get back playing and I'm very determined to do that. I am going to do it. It's going to happen.”
Jarvis’ two-and-a-half-year injury nightmare coincided with the birth of his son with wife Sarah, who he married in 2011 just months after his first, and only, England cap.
It means Jarvis junior, born in October 2016 has never had the chance to watch his dad play, which only drives on the winger more.
Jarvis added: “Mentally it has been extremely difficult but, in the hardest possible time of my life, my wife and I had our first child.
“He's been the shining light of everything. It could have been a lot worse.
“I've sacrificed time with the family to get myself fit so it's all got to be worth it. I want to have him watch me.
“I remember my wife was heavily pregnant and I had my first operation with my knee. I was supposed to be looking after her and she was looking after me!
“Then we had our son and a couple of months later I had my ankle operation.
Most read in football
“Luckily he wasn't crawling around much so I could lie in a room with my foot in the air and play with him but then if he then started running away I was done!”
As well as two years of recovery and fatherhood, Jarvis set up his academy in Guildford during his time off.
It was his way of giving something back to his home town and opens up a potential avenue when he does hang up his boots.
He was released by Millwall at 16 and joined Gillingham but went on to represent his country against Ghana at Wembley in 2011 under Fabio Capello.
He has his Three Lions shirt and cap from the game — in which he came on for Jack Wilshere with 25 minutes to go — taking pride of place in his home but admits it will probably be in his retirement that he really appreciates the achievement.
Jarvis said: “I was thinking, ‘Is it real, has someone just messaged me?’. Then I got a call about five minutes later to confirm it was real and they were going to announce it on TV.
“I’d played against the players in the squad but didn’t really know them so it was a little bit weird — like the first day of school.
“I remember the moment just before I came on, putting my shirt on, standing on the touchline. The ball didn’t go out for a little bit so I was standing there waiting like, ‘Come on, kick the ball out!’.
“Capello didn’t speak loads but he just said you deserve to be here, I’ve picked you, go and enjoy yourself. And I certainly did. I got quite a bit of the ball. I absolutely loved it.
“We had Theo Walcott, Aaron Lennon, James Milner, Stewart Downing, Ashley Young - to get in was such a massive achievement.
“I am proud because of the way that I did it. I didn’t play in any of the England youth teams, I worked up through the leagues.
“I was playing for Wolves in the Premier League and earned the right to be in the England squad so even if I am a one-cap whatever, it doesn’t bother me. I gave everything I possibly could.”
“I've played for my country and am really privileged to have done it and have no regrets about it at all. I've done it, I've lived my dream. That's what you want to do.”
Naturally when returning from a long spell out, it takes time for the manager to integrate a player back into the matchday squad and then give him minutes.
Add into the mix the fact that Norwich are second in the league, just a point behind leaders Leeds and unbeaten in the league since October 6, Jarvis is understandably unsure exactly when he will get the nod from Daniel Farke.
But despite still not playing under Farke, Jarvis praised the German for the way he has supported him since taking over in May last year.
Coming through that 45 minutes against Wolfsburg unscathed, though, gave Jarvis a major psychological boost.
The winger may not be involved as the Canaries host Nottingham Forest today but as the fixtures come thick and fast over the festive season, he could have a major part to play in the coming weeks.
And when he inevitably does make his return to the first team, the England international will need no added motivation than his 31 months of injury hell to help Norwich in their promotion push.
Leicester star James Maddison has a long England career ahead of him, says former Norwich team-mate Matt Jarvis
By JOSHUA JONES
MATT JARVIS has backed James Maddison to be an England star for many years.
Jarvis saw Maddison, 21, come in at Norwich before earning his move to Leicester City this summer.
His fine form for the Foxes convinced Gareth Southgate to call him up for the Nations League double-header against Croatia and Spain in October before injury ruled him out for the November games.
Although he did not make his senior debut, the experience of being with the squad will no doubt have been priceless.
It will not be long before he gets that first cap under his belt and Jarvis - whose only England cap came against Ghana in 2011 - expects a long Three Lions career for the midfielder.
Speaking exclusively to SunSport, he said: “I messaged him saying congratulations it's fully deserved and he just needs to keep doing what he's doing at the weekend.
“I can't see him not playing for England. If he continues to improve and do what he's done then he definitely will."