The came December 2, 2017 and the 27th minute of the game between Burnley and Leicester City at the King Power Stadium.

“I went in trying to shoot and ended up in a tackle with Harry Maguire,” he recalls.

“I could not have run into anyone worse in the world, I don’t think (laughs). He’s a good mate of mine as well. I ran into him and my patella tendon completely ruptured.

“Harry came into me after the game and then messaged me later saying that he hoped I would come back stronger. He’s helped me in a way because the tendonitis is gone (laughs). That burning sensation is gone — but I’ve had a year out for that.”

Four days after he was stretchered off at the King Power, Brady went under the knife, the start of an even longer and harder road to recovery than he initially imagined.

“I went in thinking six months and I’ll be fine, as soon as it heals I’ll be back. The surgeon said six to nine months but that it still might not feel right from 12 to 18 months, the knee would take time to get back in. After six to nine months I felt I was ready to go but that’s when I started picking up little niggles.

“It’s frustrating. You hear about that when you’re coming back — it’s not the main injury, it’s little niggles around it and getting the body back going again. I had a couple of small tweaks in the hamstring, nothing major, and a problem with my quad. At times I was probably too eager to get back. I was desperate to get back throughout the whole thing, to be honest with you.”

The physical recovery is one thing but, as the Dubliner now knows from hard-earned personal experience, coping with serious injury also presents a significant mental test.

“I’d say it’s a bigger challenge,” he says.

“You sort of get your head around the physical side of things after a couple of months. When you’re getting back moving you know what you have to do. But when you’re in the gym on your own, day in and day out, it gets that little bit lonely. You don’t get to mingle with the lads that much. You’re literally on your own for the majority of it. It was probably 10 months near enough on my own. You’d drive in with the lads and then wouldn’t see them again before you were going home.

“I think that side of things is a lot, lot tougher. At the start I was sort of feeling sorry for myself and thinking: ‘Why did it happen to me?’ But there are a lot worse things happening in the world than me hurting my knee. You have ups and downs throughout the thing but you just have to get to grips with it and get on with it.

“The mind plays tricks on you all the time. If you have a bad day, you have a bad day — which there was a few of along the way — but you just have to try and stay positive. I had a lot of good people with me, a good physio at Burnley who was bending over backwards for me to get me right and is still doing all he can now.”

Family played their part too in providing love, support and welcome distraction, not least his four-year-old daughter Halle.

(And Robbie is happy to confirm that his wife Kerrie is expecting their second child in May).

And, of course, other players who had been down the rocky road ahead of him were also a valuable source of advice and encouragement.

“Yeah, I spoke to a lot of people and a lot of people got in touch with me, past and present players that are dealing with injuries. Seamus (Coleman) was in the middle of his coming back and he was telling the first few months would be hard. Roy (Keane) sent me a few texts throughout the thing and I spoke to him after I did it and he gave me some good advice which helped, sort of giving me a heads up on things to expect and that if I needed anything — he lives quite near me — to get in touch.

“It was just taking little tips off people about how to deal with different things. It’s definitely very helpful when you can see someone come through an injury like that and they’re back playing with a smile on their face.”

Did he worry about the first tackle after getting back?

“I didn’t think about being hurt, but saying that, we played Hull U23s in one of my first games back and a young lad came through my knee, a straight leg, so that was a good test for it. I had a little word, told him to calm down (smiles). But I came through it. It’s solid, it’s as strong as it’s ever been.”

And now, with a bit of game-time at Burnley under his belt, Brady’s fervent wish is to be given the chance to show as much in the green shirt tomorrow night.

“Hopefully I can get some minutes,” he says.

“It will be brilliant to walk out there again. Walking out at the Aviva is always special. I’m desperate to go out and play there and then play in Denmark the week after. It’s been a long time coming.”