23 September 2023 , 11:48
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Former Liverpool and England under-21 starlet Andre Wisdom has returned to football after the stabbing which he has said ruined his career.
Wisdom, 30, broke into the first-team at Anfield during Brendan Rodgers' time as manager. He racked up nearly 50 Premier League appearances - many of them during loan spells at West Bromwich Albion and Norwich City - before leaving for Derby County and playing more than 100 times for the Rams.
The defender has admitted he "wasn't the same" after being stabbed in an unprovoked attack in 2020, though, and had been without a club since leaving Derby the following year. Now, though, he is ready to rebuild his career at National League North side Warrington Town.
"It was frustrating as when I've come out of hospital after like three days, I had a couple of operations, it was like my body just wasn't the same," Wisdom told The Beautiful Game Podcast in May.
"I tried to get back into football and it wasn't the same, I wasn't getting the same output in terms of power or speed." He said he got headaches after being stabbed in the head, while the incident also impacted his breathing after he was left with fluid on his lungs.
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Wisdom played regularly for Derby in his final season, but admitted he rushed back into the game after being released from hospital. A groin problem suffered towards the end of his time at Pride Park meant he was left out of contract and injured, and only now has he returned to the game after trials with clubs in England and overseas.
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Wisdom has found a new club after leaving Derby in 2021 (EMPICS Sport)"I think I rushed coming back to football," he added. "So once I could walk, which was like three weeks I went straight back to football. As men we get ahead of ourselves. I played two games and I wasn't right and my ego wouldn't let me accept it."
Warrington announced the arrival of Wisdom on Friday, ahead of a league meeting with King's Lynn. The club, who won promotion from the Northern Premier League last season, confirmed he had been training with them before putting pen to paper.
Wisdom had trials with a number of clubs over the last two years, including League One Portsmouth and Polish top-flight outfit Warta Poznan. Now, though, he will be keen to get his career back on track at a Warrington team with 10 points from their opening nine league games.