Latest news with #ACLInjury
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
Revealed: The telltale signs everyone missed that Matildas star Sam Kerr suffered a shocking setback after her horror knee injury
Newly appointed Matildas coach Joe Montemurro shocked football fans when he revealed captain Sam Kerr recently had a second surgical 'intervention' for a mystery injury - and a deep dive shows why the Chelsea striker faces an uncertain future in the sport. Kerr, 31, has not played for club or country in 16 months after she ruptured her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) back in January 2024 during a training camp with Chelsea in Morocco. Fans were shocked to see Kerr attend the recent A-League Women's Grand Final in Melbourne - but it is now likely she was actually in Australia to privately see a surgeon. Recovery from an ACL injury typically is between six and 12 months, but it depends on the player. In January this year - 12 months after Kerr was injured - questions first began to be raised about her highly anticipated return to the pitch. Chelsea manager Sonia Bompastor declared in April it was unlikely that Kerr would be back before the end of the Women's Super League season on May 10 - and she was on the money. 'It is difficult for me to say because everyone is different and everyone reacts differently,' the Blues boss told reporters at the time. 'Sam is progressing in her rehab but I don't have enough elements to say if we will see her this season. 'Hopefully, yes, but it is difficult for me to say.' Away from the pitch, Kerr had to endure a high-profile criminal trial, and in February she was found not guilty of the racially aggravated harassment of a British police officer. It followed a night out with her fiancée Kristie Mewis in January of 2023, where the footballers feared they were going to be kidnapped by a taxi driver. Kerr has since returned to train with Chelsea - but only on light duties. It was anticipated Kerr would return to the team sheet as the Blues claimed another domestic title in May - but it didn't happen and her recovery continues to be dragged out. Mewis then gave birth to the couple's son Jagger last month - which followed Kerr being in Australia back in April ahead of the Matildas tackling South Korea in two international fixtures. Again, Kerr trained lightly but didn't play - and Daily Mail Australia exclusively revealed the goal machine was wearing a compression sleeve on her injured right knee. On Monday, Montemurro left Matildas fans on edge after confirming Kerr recently underwent a new surgical procedure following a separate injury. 'Look, I think there were some complications and I've only caught up with the scenario in the last 24 hours,' he explained to Channel 10 News. 'There was a subsequent intervention, but I do believe she is now back running. 'I think it was something completely different (to the existing knee injury). I think the knee is fine. 'I think there was some other issues, but again I've only been briefed in the last 24 hours.' When Kerr does eventually return to play, she knows her every move will be heavily scrutinised. Given she is also at the twilight of her career, Kerr's time representing the Matildas and Chelsea could be drawing to a close. No doubt she will be desperate to lead Australia out at the Asian Cup next year on home soil - but it also looms as a likely international farewell for the nation's greatest ever goal scorer.
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
New Matildas boss Joe Montemurro reveals bombshell Sam Kerr update as Chelsea striker undergoes secret 'intervention' on mystery injury
New Matildas coach Joe Montemurro has revealed that Sam Kerr has been forced to undergo a second surgical 'intervention' on a fresh mystery injury. Details on the nature of the fresh injury are still unclear, however, Channel 10, reports that the 31-year-old new mum returned to Australia to undergo surgery to address the matter. Eyebrows were also raised after Kerr was seen at last month's Women's A-League Grand Final. It was also the same weekend that Chelsea took on Manchester United in the Women's FA Cup Final at Wembley, and a week after her fiance, Kristie Mewis, gave birth to their son, Jagger. It comes as a huge blow for the Aussie superstar who has not played for club or country in 16 months after she ruptured her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) back in 2024 during a training camp with Chelsea. She would later undergo surgery on the ACL tear and, at the beginning of the year, was seen back training on grass with Sonia Bompastor's side. Following the official confirmation of his appointment on Monday, Montemurro stated he won't be making an official call on Kerr's future as Australia captain, until she returns to play. The Chelsea striker has not played for club or country since 2024, after she sustained a ruptured ACL injury which she required surgery for Bompastor had also refused to be drawn on when Kerr might return, with the Blues boss stating that her injury time frame was still unclear. However, the former Lyon manager, Montemurro, has explained that Kerr is now back training on grass, having undergone the surgical procedure while revealing that her knee injury was much better. 'Look, I think there were some complications and I've only caught up with the scenario in the last 24 hours,' he explained to Channel 10 News, when pressed for an update on Kerr. 'There was a subsequent intervention, but I do believe she is now back running. 'I think it was something completely different (to the existing knee injury). I think the knee is fine. 'I think there was some other issues, but again I've only been briefed in the last 24 hours.' Montemurro also confirmed that Mary Fowler should be fit and firing for next year's Women's Asian Cup. Concerns had arisen that the 22-year-old, wouldn't make it back in time for the tournament next March. But Montemurro was happy with how she was recovering after also undergoing surgery on an ACL injury she sustained while playing for Manchester City in their Women's FA Cup semi-final defeat against rivals Manchester United. 'My intention is to sit down with all the players, even the extended squad, and map out a process of what's required to play the brand of football that we want to play from a physical and a mental perspective,' Montemurro said. Speaking on Fowler, he added: 'Mary's a special player and I can tell you from a club perspective, she's in the eye of a lot of the big clubs. 'It's unfortunate for her, it happens, but she's in probably the best environment with the City Group. 'From a physical and from a training load (perspective) and from a return to play scenario, she'll be right.
New York Times
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Arsenal's player of the season: Jurrien Timber – a beacon of consistency
When a new player arrives as a 22-year-old vice-captain of Ajax carrying a £38million price tag, pressure and expectation are natural. But when their league debut is then upended by an anterior cruciate ligament rupture, and the team's defence evolves into the league standard-bearer in their absence, the conditions for success become much more testing. Advertisement For many players, such misfortune would invite doubt and self-pity over their role and how long it may take to get back up to speed. Not Jurrien Timber, though. The Arsenal defender is made of different stuff. His quality was immediately obvious during his first pre-season, including the 2023 Community Shield victory against Manchester City, when he started in an unfamiliar left-back role and looked like he had been playing there at this level for years. That day at Wembley gave an insight into his unflappable mentality and how, despite only playing the final 21 minutes of that 2023-24 debut season after his opening-weekend injury, he somehow reappeared in August looking as if he had not missed a beat. A player of his calibre was always going to feel like a new signing, having had to wait a year to show his ability. Yet, he has still surpassed expectations. That he amassed 48 appearances in all competitions after what can still be a career-altering injury is a feat in itself, but he has delivered the most consistent and reliable individual season of anyone in the Arsenal squad, which is why The Athletic has chosen him as the club's player of the year for 2024-25. There was no one player head and shoulders above the rest as we considered the options. Declan Rice, David Raya, Gabriel and Myles Lewis-Skelly were the other credible candidates. But 18-year-old Lewis-Skelly only became a regular in December, and Gabriel has missed the past two months through injury, including the Champions League quarter-final and semi-final. Raya was forced into many more acts of heroics than last season and recorded 13 clean sheets in his 38 league appearances, but his kicking and handling waned in the campaign's final months and he probably required another few definitive moments to be the choice. Advertisement Had the voting been based only on this calendar year, Rice would have won comfortably but niggling injuries meant he was not his usual powerhouse self until January, since when he has produced stunning goals against Manchester United and Newcastle United, and his pair of free kicks against Real Madrid. Timber, Arsenal's Rottweiler-ballerina cross, deserves recognition for how often he is an eight out of 10. His understated excellence has provided manager Mikel Arteta with a beacon of consistency in a season otherwise defined by disruption. Timber's place in the team was not guaranteed in the summer. Riccardo Calafiori had been signed to compete at left-back and Ben White, at right-back, had become so key to Arsenal in the previous two seasons with his overlapping and linking up with Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka. The most telling way to measure Timber's impact is that, even when White returned from injury in February, Arteta stuck with the Dutchman until he was lost to the ankle problem that kept him out for the final month of the season. He had usurped White and made the position his own. Amid an availability crisis, Timber's adaptability has proved valuable as he has filled in at left-back and centre-back. His first two full games of the season came away against Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City, playing one on either flank. They showcased his snarling side. Against the champions at the Etihad Stadium, he put in a heroic display while guarding the penalty area for the entire second half with Arsenal down to 10 men. He has been solid defensively for the entire season, with his aggression and physicality often dominating opposition wingers. Timber plays with a ferocious intensity that mirrors his manager's outlook. In the two games he missed this month against Liverpool and Newcastle, Arsenal were uncharacteristically passive. Advertisement That is not a word Timber recognises. He embodies the poise and precision, but also the focus and immersion Arteta wants from his players for the full 90 minutes of every game. He may not have the same highlights reel as others but he went through so many matches flawlessly, a consistency of execution that has been missing from a player as good as centre-back colleague William Saliba this season. The high-water mark of his campaign came against Madrid, when he delivered a clinic on how to deal with the trickery and directness of Vinicius Junior. He never looked fazed. The only time he did look perturbed was during a difficult opening 20 minutes at the Emirates against Paris Saint-Germain's Khvicha Kvaratskhelia but, rather than shy away from the challenge and drop off, he went more aggressive. After one or two rough challenges on the Georgian to win some momentum back, he recovered well and in the return fixture in Paris, his dribbling and link-up play were key to Arsenal dominating the game for long spells. Timber may be built like a light-heavyweight boxer but he can shimmy past players and change direction as if he were a nippy winger. There is an artistry to his game. He has a unique blend of traits that makes him a rare 360-degree footballer who can play in any direction and in any third of the pitch. Very rarely does Timber lose the ball, a security that comes from his confidence under pressure and his understanding of possession football. He does not force passes, instead feinting to buy himself time to escape from pressure. 'The guy is the calmest player ever,' said Fulham defender Calvin Bassey, who was a team-mate at Ajax. 'His dribbling is a joke. He used to do these mazy runs where you just think, 'How?'. He was like a midfielder playing at centre-back. Then I try it and I'm thinking, 'Sheesh!'.' Timber was deprived of Odegaard and Saka at different times but as the season has progressed, he has been given more freedom to join in attacks. Next season, if allowed more capacity to run with the ball, he could elevate Arsenal's attack even more. If this was Timber's year of getting back up to speed following that ACL injury, just imagine what he could be next time.
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Former Carlisle United duo released by National League rivals
Former Carlisle United defender Jack Robinson's short spell at Hartlepool United is over - and fellow ex-Blue Gary Madine has also been released. The duo are among nine players let go by the National League club at the end of their contracts. For Robinson it is a quick departure from Victoria Park with the 23-year-old having made just three appearances. He left Carlisle for Pools on February's transfer deadline day but is now looking for a new club. In the case of Madine, the experienced frontman leaves the Monkey Hangers after 30 appearances and eight goals. The 34-year-old had been on Pools' books since last August, making his return to action after recovering from an ACL injury suffered with previous club Blackpool. Hartlepool's decisions come at the end of an 11th-placed finish in the fifth tier, and amid uncertainty over the club's future. The north east club had been in takeover talks but announced on Wednesday that a "potential takeover party" had missed a "further revised deadline" to deposit funds. The decisions come at a time of uncertainty over Pools' future (Image: PA) Hartlepool said that, as a result, there is no prospect of an "immediate takeover" and that, following a survey of season ticket holders, current owner Raj Singh will "step in to support the club... with the aim that Hartlepool United remains stable and competitive", ahead of any future takeover interest. Robinson's time at Carlisle began with a loan spell from Middlesbrough in the 2022/23 season before he joined on a permanent two-year deal. The left-sided player made 41 appearances for the Cumbrians. Madine came through United's youth team and made 85 first-team appearances and scored 22 goals before being sold to Sheffield Wednesday in 2011. He later returned on loan in 2014 and scored twice in five appearances. His other clubs include Cardiff City, Bolton Wanderers, Coventry City and Sheffield United. Other players released by Hartlepool this summer include Max Storey, Joel Dixon, Emmanuel Onariase, Luke Waterfall, Anthony Mancini, Kieran Wallace and Gregg Sloggett. Those remaining under contract at Victoria Park include the former Blues duo Tom Parkes and Adam Campbell. The club's first team coach is the former Carlisle No2 Gavin Skelton. FLASH SALE: Get unlimited access to every Carlisle United article by subscribing to the News & Star for £3 for 3 months, or get 40% off a full year's subscription - click
