In normal times, the news that Chelsea midfielder Carney Chukwuemeka required knee surgery this week would be a source of significant concern. Chukwuemeka, after all, is only 19. But these are not normal times in elite football and for the midfielder to be ruled out for around six weeks instead feels like a cause for mild relief.
Strange as it might sound, Chukwuemeka is one of the lucky ones. In recent weeks, an extraordinarily high number of top players across Europe have not been quite so fortunate. The list of stars who have suffered serious knee injuries since the start of pre-season is unusually – and worryingly – long.
At Aston Villa, they have had two anterior cruciate ligament injuries already (Emi Buendia and Tyrone Mings). There have also been two ACL injuries at Real Madrid (Thibaut Courtois and Eder Militao). Arsenal’s Jurrien Timber has suffered an ACL injury, too, as has Chelsea’s Wesley Fofana. Monaco’s Breel Embolo had an ACL rupture earlier this month, while former Manchester City midfielder David Silva has retired after an ACL injury of his own.
