Everton, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, Norwich City and Arsenal players feature in our list.
Forget them staying fit for the season, making it through pre-season would be nice, and in some cases, making it to pre-season may be beyond them.
Here are five players whose very futures at their clubs could depend on them getting and staying fit.
Jack Rodwell
Early last season it was beginning to look like Jack Rodwell was finally going to make his impact at Goodison. He was one of the few players to start off the season well for Everton last season, and his performances saw him called into the England squad. He featured in England’s 1-0 win over Spain at Wembley in October, but it was while on international duty he picked up a muscle problem. He made just 11 starts last season, and four appearances only in 2012. He is 21, and time is on his side, but he is continually linked with moves away to clubs like Chelsea and Manchester United. He will be of little use to them if he can’t stay fit, a problem which has held him back all career, and even the patience of Everton supporters is beginning to wear thin. With ‘new kid on the block’ Ross Barkley ready to steal his limelight, big things are expected of Rodwell this season, and if they don’t materialise, Everton would be advised to cash in and get what they can for him to re-invest in the squad.
Anderson
Manchester United fans are pretty evenly split on Anderson’s ability, but his inability to stay fit is a frustration all supporters share. Even Sir Alex Ferguson is believed to be agitated by the midfielder’s injuries, which cut short his season last year. United have been linked with a number of midfielders, including players at Benfica and Porto, in a division where Anderson once played in Portugal, and he is emerging as a useful bargaining chip for the club. What Anderson really needs is a complete season where he stays injury free and can show what he can do, if he is given one more chance, and suffers another setback, his future will look even more bleak. If he takes it, then the world is suddenly his oyster.
Abou Diaby
Mention Abou Diaby’s name to any Arsenal supporter and you will hear exhausted groans and a little sympathy. It is not Diaby’s fault that he has suffered with injury, he was the recipient of a horrendous tackle early in his Gunners career against Sunderland, but that was 2006, and here we are in 2012 and he is still struggling to stay fit. Last season was an all-too familiar one for Diaby, arguably his most disappointing yet, failing to make a single start for the club. Now he is around sixth or seventh choice for a central midfield berth, and he needs a remarkable turnaround in fortunes to save his Emirates career. At 26, he should be entering the peak of his career, but he is almost back to square one. Staying fit will be a start, and right now he seems ready for pre-season, lasting the course is another matter. A loan move may be his best bet so he can get some regular football under his belt.
David Bentley
There is lots of talk of a fresh start for David Bentley at Tottenham right now, with Andre Villas-Boas said to have offered him a clean slate. The £15 million man has been loaned to Birmingham City and West Ham over the past 18 months, with little success. At West Ham he managed just five games before injury curtailed his season, and right now he cannot afford a repeat. Aaron Lennon suffered his own injury issues for Spurs last year, and if Bentley is fit enough and plays well enough to take advantage of any opportunities, he can re-establish himself. An injury ravaged season would effectively end his Spurs career, so this really is an important few months for him coming up.
James Vaughan
James Vaughan was cut free from Everton for his seemingly perpetual injury struggles, there was no denying the young striker’s talent, but he could never got a run of games and eventually slipped further and further away from the first team. He signed for Norwich City last summer, and again, had terrible luck – suffering a broken nose, a knee injury, and a hamstring injury. With the manager who signed him, Paul Lambert, having moved on, Vaughan will have to show Chris Hughton he merits a place in the squad, and that will mean staying off the treatment table. He has reportedly been offered to Birmingham as part of a deal for Curtis Davies, but if he elects to stay, he cannot afford to suffer any more setbacks.
Which of the five has the best chance of redeeming themselves?
image: © Gordon Flood
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