In Pics : Premier League careers ruined by injury

[Dodomeki]

Different shirt, same problem: Owen Hargreaves' legs were a problem years before he went 777 days without a start at Manchester United.
Here he writhes in pain after breaking his leg for Bayern Munich against Arminia Bielefeld in September 2006


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[Dodomeki]

Re: Premier League careers ruined by injury

12 April 1999: 19 year-old Michael Owen was substituted against Leeds United with a hamstring injury. Although he never quite recovered his pace, he went on to be Fifa's World Player of the Year in 2001 - but the problem never went away, and at 30 he is a shadow of the player he once was. Most of his 38 appearances at Manchester United have been as a substitute


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[Dodomeki]

Re: Premier League careers ruined by injury

Stevie's rival: Vegard Heggem's story shows how it can all go wrong for professional athletes. He had two excellent seasons at Liverpool, where he kept the admittedly very young Steven Gerrard out of the team, before the hamstring complaints began which ruined his career. He retired in 2003, aged 27, and now runs a salmon fishery


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[Dodomeki]

Broken hamstring: a 20 year-old Kieron Dyer was injured in his first game for England, and although it was not a serious knock it was a sign of things to come. Persistent hamstring and knee complaints irked him at Newcastle - and 29 appearances in four years at West Ham says it all


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[Dodomeki]

Real shame: Jonathan Woodgate was a prized asset for Leeds United as a youngster, but has barely enjoyed an injury-free season after moving to Newcastle. He made just a handful of appearances in two seasons at Real Madrid. Good runs in 2006-07 for Middlesbrough and 2008-09
for Tottenham are the highlights of a compromised career.


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[Dodomeki]

One leg: Ledley King's career can be divided into two: before the summer of 2006, when he sustained his first bad knee injury, and after.
Since then he's been plagued by a succession of knee and metatarsal complaints

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[Dodomeki]

Couple of crocks: Louis Saha (left) has the touch and pace to ensure that he scores goals - when fit. But knee, hamstring and calf complaints meant he was offloaded by Manchester United in 2008 to join Everton on a pay-as-you-play deal. He played more games in the 2009-10 season than since before he came to England, but the trouble has since resurfaced. Sunderland's John Mensah (tackling Saha) has also been plagued by injury. He's played fewer than forty games in three seasons thanks to a dodgy calf.


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[Dodomeki]

Early retirement: Dean Ashton left the game aged 26 after playing just 56 games in five seasons for West Ham United. He looked set for an England career, but it was on international duty that he sustained his career-wrecking injury, when Shaun Wright-Phillips broke his ankle in training in 2006, just before he could win his first senior cap


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[shOUTloud]

Diaby never recovered from his injury.

Eduardo never recovered from his injury.

 

[jw5]

Diaby never recovered from his injury.

Eduardo never recovered from his injury.

Diaby is still playing well for Arsenal, despite being currently injured.

Eduardo is playing well for Shaktar, just scored the winning goal against Arsenal in the last champions league match.