By Dan May

As seen with Danny Ings’ injury recently, injuries really can seem like a never ending cycle for some footballers, potentially ending careers. This article will look at the top five English ‘sicknote’ footballers who frustrated their managers and fans alike with their lengthy spells on the sidelines.

Ledley King

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Prior to the 2006-2007 season, Ledley King was quickly emerging as one of the finest Central Defenders in the Premier League. However, a horrific injury to his knee cartilage meant his career would never be the same. King would only appear sporadically as he would be left waiting for swelling on his knee to go down after playing. Incredibly, his manager at the time, Harry Redknapp, revealed that King never trained in the week and would still play at the weekend. King retired aged 32, with many feeling barring injuries, he could have been one of the best in the world!

“He is the only guy who doesn’t hold players. He will get the ball off you without you even noticing. For me, that is a good defender.”

-Thierry Henry on Ledley King

Kieron Dyer

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The BBC described Kieron Dyer as “once considered as the future of English football”, however Dyer’s career didn’t hit the heights that many had expected. Hamstring and knee injuries meant Dyer’s playing time became increasingly limited. Remarkably during his time at West Ham United, he cost the club £450,000 per appearance, and he only cost £6 million! Having only managed to make 77 appearances in his last nine seasons, Dyer eventually ended his career. After showing so much promise at the start of his career, people will always wonder just how good Dyer could have become if his career wasn’t plagued by injury.

Francis Jeffers

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Prolific for Everton and the England youth sides, Francis Jeffers was one of the hottest young properties in English football. He then got his big move in 2001, when Arsene Wenger brought him to Highbury for a whopping £8 million. Unfortunately for Jeffers the beginning of his spell at Arsenal was ruined by shoulder, ankle and hamstring injuries. Jeffers then failed to recover and left Arsenal after just three seasons. He then never rediscovered his form from Everton, and niggling injuries left him doing the rounds in the lower leagues of English football, and even Australia!

“We were considering him (Ruud Van Nistelrooy) and Francis Jeffers and, in the end, we went for Jeffers” 

-Arsene Wenger on Francis Jeffers in 2001

Owen Hargreaves

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Hargreaves had established himself as a regular for Bayern Munich in the early 2000’s, however his career soon became one of the game’s biggest cruelties. Countless injuries including adductor, thigh, leg, knee and hamstring problems meant that Hargreaves had quickly become the most injury prone player in world football. After just five appearances in his last four seasons of league football, Hargreaves retired having only made 173 league appearances in his entire career. This was a sad end for a player who had been named as England’s best player in the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

Michael Bridges

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As an 18 year old at Sunderland, Bridges saved the club from relegation and was considered to be one of the most promising strikers in the country. He then earned himself a move to Leeds United; where he went on to score 19 league goals in his first season, guiding the club to 3rd in the Premier League. Unfortunately Bridges dislocated his ankle in 2000, which was eventually the end of his career in the top level of the game. Much like Franny Jeffers, Bridges then began to ply his trade in the lower leagues of England and Australia. Unbelievably Bridges is still playing now, for Australian side Jambton Jaffas in the Northern Premier League NSW.