TWO serious injuries have made Shandon Baptiste an expert on Netflix’s film selection, but the Oxford United midfielder is now ready to take centre stage again himself.

A breakthrough star at the start of last season, the 21-year-old’s rise was cut short last October.

Surgery on a dislocated shoulder sidelined him for ten weeks, only to suffer a cruciate knee ligament injury six minutes into his first-team return.

It was a heart-breaking setback and Baptiste had to find ways to keep himself occupied in the early stages of the recovery.

“There was a lot of Netflix,” he said. “I’ve probably watched most films on there and I played a lot of Fifa on the PlayStation.

“But now I can actually play football again.”

A gruelling rehabilitation schedule has seen the Grenada international return slightly ahead of schedule.

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And after coming through 60 minutes for United’s under 23 side on Tuesday, Baptiste is officially available for selection tomorrow.

The midweek game was the final hurdle to clear in a seven-month road to recovery, but it was also one of the most tense.

He said: “Before the game I was a bit nervous because of what happened last time where I only lasted six minutes.

“But once I was in the game and making tackles it felt normal to be back out there again.

“I think now I can go into every game thinking I’m back to being the Shandon I was before I got injured.

“That was a big relief and going into the game it was one of the big points I needed to tick off before I could say to the manager ‘I’m ready to be involved’, if he wants me.”

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Any concerns it would take time to catch Karl Robinson’s eye were short-lived, with the head coach remarking the fit-again midfielder had been the stand-out player in training since returning to the group.

Baptiste said: “I’ve got seven months of football I’ve been trying to squeeze into two weeks.

“I’ve missed football, so I’ve just been trying to do everything I didn’t do in the seven months.

“The excitement about being back out there just takes over.”

In a quirk of fate, Baptiste’s troubles began with the shoulder injury in last season’s trip to Bristol Rovers.

It just so happens United return to the Memorial Stadium tomorrow, when he could be named among the substitutes.

He said: “It will be a weird one going back there where it happened, but I’m strong-minded so it wouldn’t really affect me.

“It’s just nice to be back out on the green grass.”