9 Players With Long Term Injuries Who You May Have Forgotten About
Injuries are common in football, but while some are lucky to make quick returns to the pitch, others are not as blessed.
The highs and lows in football are part of a player's career, and spells on the sidelines can be devastating.
Here we take a look at nine players who you might have forgotten about.
9. Adam Lallana
Ravaged by re-occurring hamstring injuries, Adam Lallana has been near non-existent in the last two seasons.
Once considered a potential Liverpool star, the midfielder has missed 39 games since the start of last season and suffered heartbreak when he missed the cut for England’s World Cup success last summer.
Lallana has consequentially fallen down the pecking order at both club and international level.
Now at the age of 30, he may be forced to hang up his boots sooner rather than later if he’s unable to stay fit for more than half a season.
8. Younes Kaboul
235 days and counting...Watford’s Younes Kaboul hasn’t played a single game in 11 months.
Currently out due to a Metatarsal fracture, Kaboul has been plagued by several injuries including knee, ankle, back and hip problems.
The defender’s commanding performances for Tottenham under Harry Redknapp seem an age ago, and with the pace of the Premier League improving each season, time might be up for the 32-year-old.
7. Ramiro Funes Mori
When Funes Mori joined Everton from Argentinean giants River Plate, he surely didn't imagine the events that would follow.
Signed by Roberto Martinez, Mori made 28 appearances in his first full season, fending off tough competition from John Stones and Phil Jagielka, and seemed destined to become a crucial player on Merseyside.
However, two knee surgeries later and having missed the whole of last season, the Centre-back is now plying his trade at Spanish side Villarreal as he looks to resurrect his career at 27.
6. Giuseppe Rossi
He once was one of Europe’s most feared strikers, but Giuseppe Rossi probably wishes he’d chosen a different career.
With a wicked left-foot, Rossi’s most successful spell came at Villarreal five and a half years ago, before he suffered a series of devastating injuries.
The Italian international ruptured his ligaments twice and missed over 100 games across four seasons.
Currently without a club, the 32-year old simply hasn’t replicated the form once admired by so many.
5. Connor Wickham
Victim of a cruciate ligament rupture in November 2016, Crystal Palace striker Connor Wickham has spent nearly two years on the sidelines.
Having showed glimpses of his potential at Sheffield Wednesday, Wickham was drafted into the Palace first team, only to find himself cursing his luck.
Despite the blow, Wickham could be given an unexpected lifeline by manager Roy Hodgson, who’s now facing an injury crisis of his own.
4. Santi Cazorla
The most high profile player on this list, Santi Cazorla endured a torrid time in his last two years at Arsenal.
The Spaniard has undergone a shocking 10 operations across his career, including ankle surgery that kept him out for over 600 days.
Cazorla made his name at Villarreal and guided Malaga to a Champions League place in 2011-12, before his injury-plagued time in north London.
The 33-year-old waved an emotional goodbye at Arsenal in the summer and recently returned to Villarreal to seek regular first team football.
3. Nathaniel Clyne
The second Liverpool casualty on the list, Nathaniel Clyne’s last two years at Liverpool have been a distant memory.
Having made his dream move in 2015, the right-back had already made nearly 100 appearances for newly promoted Southampton, before becoming a regular at Merseyside.
However, Clyne made just three appearances last season, having suffered a back problem. In that time, Trent Alexander-Arnold has replaced the 27-year-old, who now faces a tough battle to re-claim a place in the Liverpool's starting XI.
2. Jack Wilshere
Infamous for a spate of long- term injuries, Jack Wilshere must have forgotten the feeling of playing football.
Having already missed the whole of Arsenal’s 2015-16 season, Wilshere played four games for new club West Ham this season, before suffering more injury heartache.
An ankle injury, compounded by immediate surgery, will see the England international out until November.
Once tipped to be a future international star for England, many have forgotten about Wilshere, whose career could have been so different had he remained fit.
1. Pape Souare
Perhaps the most unfortunate on this list, Pape Souare’s time at Crystal Palace may already be over.
Having joined The Eagles in 2015-16 from French side Lille, Papa Souare established himself as a key player, making nearly 50 appearances.
However, the Senegalese international was involved in a car accident and suffered thigh and jaw bone injuries – sidelining him for nearly a year.
Souare seems to be at the point of no return, as fellow left-back Patrick Van Anholt has has established himself during his absence.