As the Portugal talisman opened up about his injury woes, Liverpool striker Diogo Jota responded defiantly to the disappointing season.

The former Wolves attacker missed the World Cup in Qatar due to a serious calf injury that cut short his midseason performance. He was thus only able to play in 22 Premier League games after missing 18 for the Reds.

Despite the problem, he was able to return in time to assist Liverpool in winning the Europa League, but he was still plagued by persistent issues, including a back injury. Despite being sidelined alongside his attacking partner Luis Diaz, his absence was felt, but he still had an impact with seven goals, including three braces, in the second half of the season.

“It was a very hard season, for me personally with all the injuries and not being able to help the team, but we are already targeting the next one,” Jota wrote in a post on Instagram.

Following Mohamed Salah’s “devastated” message after Manchester United’s victory over Chelsea in their penultimate game of the season ensured a top-four finish in Erik ten Hag’s first campaign, Jota posted on the club’s official page.

In order to improve on their fifth-place finish from the previous season, Jurgen Klopp’s team will need to make significant roster upgrades this summer.

Before they put together a significant winning streak, finishing in the European spots seemed impossible given their shaky start to the season and a number of humiliating losses along the way. They were propelled into the Europa League spots by their seven-match winning streak.