Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk feels people don't realise how hard he had to work to recover from last season's knee injury.
However, the Dutchman believes he's back to his best.
"It was always going to take time from the pre-season until now," says Van Dijk to the Daily Mail. "I feel very good. I think the winter break really helped me, to get away with my family, to get some time to really switch off, not to think about football and the pressure we are all under.
"I felt a little bit taken for granted at times, like people were acting as if nothing had happened and everything was normal.
"I had to really switch off and get myself clear in my head and make sure I told myself that everything that is happening right now is quite good and be proud of it.
"It isn't really normal, after the injury I had, to be able to already play that amount of games and the level I had already reached, in my opinion.
"So there were a lot of things going through my head before the break. I needed to have time with my family, switch off, clear my head and recharge so I was ready to go. I went on a nice beach holiday far away with my family and my kids and it was really needed.
"The games before the break, I felt I had good games but to keep that consistent level and also the level that everyone expected of me was always like a pressure. It was a thing that played a part in my head a little bit, not much but still...
"Even if I had a good game, I felt like no one appreciated it as much as they should.
"Not that I'm insecure and need to have confirmation all the time, not at all, but I felt like coming back from an ACL/MCL [anterior or medial cruciate ligament] injury and playing the amount of games I have played so far, playing three games a week, it is quite good and should not be overlooked. And it was overlooked in my opinion."
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