9 players whose seasons were cut-short by injuries
Injuries add the “what-if” factor each season for clubs who would rather not deal with it. From the top to the bottom, from the fight for the Championship to the battle for relegation, injuries, unfortunately, play a huge role in deciding the fate of clubs.
Today, we take a look-back at players whose seasons were either completely/ partly ruined by injuries and how it affected their game and their team's momentum –
Thomas Vermaelen
The Arsenal captain made the move across Europe to join Barcelona in the summer but ended the season with just 1 appearance for the Catalans, made in their match against Deportivo.
The Belgian was plagued by injuries throughout 2014, delaying his debut for the club, and finally underwent surgery on December 2nd 2014 to get rid of his recurrent hamstring injury struggles.
It took him about 5-and-a-half months after his surgery, to make his debut for the Blaugrana.
Daniel Sturridge
The Liverpool juggernaut that was the SAS last season is nothing but a distant memory. The departure of Luis Suarez, who went looking for pastures anew at the Nou Camp was followed by more bad news for the Koppers, as his partner in crime, Daniel Sturridge spent more time on the doctor’s table than on the field.
A combination of thigh, hip, hamstring, calf and ankle ligament problems meant that the England international had to sit out more than 50 games last season. Liverpool were found short on both creativity and pace as Sturridge, who scored 35 goals in his first 18 months since arriving from Chelsea, received treatment, with the Mario Balotelli experiment looking a disaster with every passing day.
Siem de Jong
The ex-Ajax captain was the first piece of business done by the Magpies early in the summer. The Dutchman was basically touted to be a shoe-in to fill the large void of creativity in the middle of the park that had existed ever since the departure of Yohan Cabaye.
However, for Newcastle, the impact on the pitch was never like the narrative they had on their script as a pre-season injury to his thigh ruled him out for the first four months of the season. After making a meek return against Aston Villa, the Dutchman was diagnosed with a new problem of a collapsed lung.
In all, De Jong made only 4 appearances for Newcastle last season, with his only goal coming against Swansea. Hopefully, we will see the best of the Dutchman in the coming season.