5 Long-term Injuries in the EPL

Injuries – something all clubs and managers fear. Heck ! Its something all fans fear. It brings down everyone, even champions . Long term injuries can slow down the growth of young players and can have a damping effect on their careers .

A single injury in a team can disturb the balance of the team and can have disastrous effects on the rest of the team, let alone injuries to your star players.  The situation becomes more dreadful if the club lacks depth in its squad. And the scenario becomes nightmarish when four or even five first team players are out injured .The slump through which Manchester United are going through is due to the absence of key members like skipper Wayne Rooney , Schneiderlin , Luke Shaw and Valencia, among others. What it resulted in for United was a string of below par performances which saw them lose out to Wolfsburg in the Champions League and get demoted to Europa league, and a shambolic defeat at the hands of Bournemouth. So here we point out a few key players sitting out this season due to long term injuries .

1 Luke Shaw – Manchester United

The young fallback got injured during the Champions League group stage opening match against PSV on the 15th of September . A sliding tackle from Hector Moreno caught Shaw’s leg, causing a double fracture. Since his absence United have missed the extra yard of pace from their fullbacks. His overlapping runs with Depay and precise crosses were lethal. Though his presence at the front end of the field was sometimes more eye-catching than his defensive duties, he had lately started to understand his defensive duties too.

Along with United, the Three Lions too will be hopeful to see him recover quickly as the Euro ’16 is just a few months away and Shaw would be a great addition to the young brigade that England
wants to send out. His return is dated to be somewhere near May 2016 .
2 Danny Welbeck – Arsenal

The young English forward has been missing from action this whole season due to his knee injury. Welbeck got injured in April and has undergone surgery in September. His life in the past few seasons hasn’t been easy. The youngster, after joining the gunners for £16 million, hasn’t exactly found the goal too often. He scored 6 premier league goals in over 20 appearances last season. Although his goal against his old side in the FA Cup quarter finals won the hearts of many at the Emirates. And with the hat-trick he had against Galatasaray, things seemed to fall in place for Welbeck. The Three Lions would be hopeful for his quick recovery as the Euro ’16 is not far. The youngster along with Harry Kane and Daniel Sturridge would form a great young attack for the English .
3 Samir Nasri – Manchester City

The City attacking midfielder picked up an injury in November this year – a tendon injury during a training session. His constant penetration of opposition defenses is something which Pellegrini’s team is missing since his absence. Although Kevin De Bruyne is in flying form this season scoring and providing assists, he does not provide the same defensive back up that Nasri provides . Having missed out the World Cup last year as Dechamps chose not to pick him, he would be hoping to recovery quickly for the Euro 2016 and play in the French squad, although he is expected to return to action in another 5-6 months .
4 Leighton Baines – Everton

The Everton fullback has been missing from action since May. He underwent two ankle injuries and missed out the complete first half of the season. His absence has affected the Toffees a lot as he provides a solid defense week in and week out .

His counter attacking ability and crosses at the front end of the field are very important for the Toffees. But where he actually shines , is spot kicks. Baines is a great penalty taker and free kick taker for Everton. His close range free kicks are as good as his long range free kicks. He recently played his first game of the season as Everton drew 1-1 against Norwich City. His return will definitely give the Toffees a boost as he brings some experience to an otherwise young Everton squad .
5 Santi Cazorla – Arsenal

Cazorla is one of the new entrants in the injury list. The Spaniard got injured during the Gunners’ match against the Canaries. Cazolra refused to get substituted at half time and pulled off the match with an injury. On later scanning it was found that Cazorla had a severely damaged tendon. Arsene Wenger recently disclosed that his return could take longer than the initially estimated 3 months. Cazorla has been one of the most creative midfielders for the Gunners and his absence during the important Christmas period would be very unfortunate for the North London side .

And with the Euro so close, the Spanish would love to add depth to their armada of attacking midfielders .