Dejan Lovren has admitted to taking painkillers to help him play through injury.
Achillies and back problems disrupted the Liverpool defender’s season and saw him miss successive Premier League games against Manchester City and Burnley.
Lovren was able to overcome injuries to take part in last weekend’s win over Leicester City and a Champions League draw with Spartak Moscow on Tuesday.
But the Croatia international revealed that he was only able to make the recent double header due to taking up to five painkillers before each match.
“I have problems with my whole body for the last two weeks, my back and now I have hurt my achilles tendon,” he told Sportske Novosti.
“I am taking pills so I can play, five before every game. I play but I cannot train at all.
“That’s why I skipped matches against Manchester City and Burnley.”
He added: “It’s not normal to have four of five tablets before each game.
“I wanted to play, the coach put me in the team, but it is not good.
“For more than two weeks, I have had these problems.”