5 players looking to rebuild their careers in 2018/19 after serious injuries
2017/18 has been a breakout season for a lot of players. The likes of Mohamed Salah, Nick Pope, and Trent Alexander-Arnold have seen themselves become household names thanks to some tremendous performances for their clubs and going into 2018/19 there’s no doubt that they’ll want to continue their upward trajectory.
For some players, though, 2017/18 has been a season to forget about. Plenty have had poor performances but for these five players, injuries have been to blame for the derailing of their season. All five had high hopes for good performances but now, they’ll simply be looking to regain their momentum in 2018/19.
Here are 5 players who will be looking to bounce back in 2018/19.
#1: Nathaniel Chalobah
When Nathaniel Chalobah chose to move to Watford last summer – for a bizarre cut-price fee of just £5m – rather than stay at Chelsea and attempt to make his way into a crowded first team, it seemed like perhaps the best move of his young career. Always highly rated by observers of youth football, Chalobah was finally set to get a chance to show what he was capable of at the top level.
The defensive midfielder started his season in fine form, appearing in all 5 of Watford’s opening fixtures as his side picked up 8 points, losing just once to eventual champions Manchester City, and his performances saw him called up to the England senior side by manager Gareth Southgate for September’s games against Malta and Slovakia.
Unfortunately, disaster then struck. In mid-September, Chalobah was sidelined with a knee injury, which ended up being diagnosed as a fractured kneecap. And since then he hasn’t kicked another ball as he’s now been on the shelf for 8 months, meaning his World Cup chances are done and dusted.
When he returns, he’ll find Watford to be a slightly different place – largely because the manager who signed him, Marco Silva, has been fired and replaced by Javi Gracia. Regardless, the Spanish boss is likely to relish the chance to work with such a tremendous prospect, and hopefully, Chalobah can pick things up where he left off by performing well for the Hornets – and earn his place in the England squad back in the process.