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Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has admitted to being frustrated at his Liverpool recovery as he revealed pre-season has been a "shock to the system".

Oxlade-Chamberlain is striving for match sharpness having been sidelined for more than a year with a serious knee injury.

The 25-year-old featured for only 19 minutes towards the end of last season but has stepped up his rehabilitation by playing in all seven warm-up games this summer.

The midfielder, though, has revealed the difficulties he has encountered in attempting to rediscover the form that made him a favourite in the second half of his first season after arriving from Arsenal for £35million on deadline day in 2017.

"Personally it’s been a bit of a struggle," said Oxlade-Chamberlain, who is likely to be on the bench for Sunday's Community Shield against Manchester City at Wembley.

"I forget that I haven’t played for a long time and, if I am honest, the last couple of games haven’t been at the level that I want.

"The Dortmund game I felt good but the next one (Sevilla) I felt tired and then the one after (against Sporting Lisbon) I was a bit more tired.

(Image: Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

"A lot of the lads will feel tired in pre-season. But, for me, it’s a bit more of a shock to the system. I just keep trying to remind myself that I have been through the worst of it.

"We have played seven games since we got back. I have got through them all, which is a good thing for me."

During the 2-2 draw with Sporting Lisbon in New York last Wednesday, Oxlade-Chamberlain was spotted screaming in frustration at one point.

And he explained: "It’s so different. You remember what you were physically capable of before. You remember how things felt and it’s different now. You are trying so hard to get back there.

"That is the next stage of the recovery: dealing with it all, giving myself time.

"I have got to remember not to try and get too frustrated. There is a place where I think I should be and where I want to be but there is a reality of the process that I am going through.

"The boys know me well enough to where I am and what I can do. They see where I am at.

"As a professional, you know and respect what you have to do to get back to that level – especially to play for a team like us, with the intensity we have. It doesn’t just come overnight.

"I remember the first three months after I came here from Arsenal. It was a really big challenge, three games into a new season without any pre-seaon. That was a different intensity, a different way of playing.

"Coming back from a long injury, it is going to be hard. But I don’t feel like I really have to prove to my team-mates or anyone in particular what I can do.

"But, of course, me as a person. I’m quite critical of myself and demand certain standards. I want to show people that I can be a part of this team."

While Klopp revealed Oxlade-Chamberlain had been playing though a calf problem, the England man has played down fears of a serious problem.

"It’s basically just getting use to the intensity of playing again – and I had my strapping too tight!" he laughed.

"It stopped a bit of blood getting down there but it’s all good! It’s all part of the adaptation."

And of Sunday's Wembley date, Oxlade-Chamberlain is under no illusions of the importance of the game.

"Of course, it’s a trophy!" he said. "I think I won three times with Arsenal and it’s a great day out.

"If you win it, you really enjoy it. If you lose, you find excuses to say why you weren’t bothered about winning it. We want to win. t’s good to keep a winning mentality and momentum."