Duffus out for 6 to 9 months

Michael Kenrick , 30 March, 5comments | Jump to most recent

Everton U21 star Courtney Duffus will be out of action for between 6 and 9 months as he recovers from knee surgery after blowing out his ACL in training back in February.

The knee surgery has been a success and now the Everton youngster faces the long road to recovery after coming close to senior action less than a week before the injury. He was named on the Everton first team subs bench for the visit of BSC Young Boys in the Europa League.

"We were in training on the astroturf and I've rolled my foot over the ball, my foot's been planted in the astroturf and I suddenly felt a pop in my knee," he told EvertonTV. "I don't remember much after that to be honest – it was very painful though, I remember that!

"The operation was an ACL reconstruction. They've taken a graft from my patella tendon and replaced the old ligament with that. The operation went really well and the surgeon was really happy with it.

"This injury normally means six to nine months, but we're hoping it will be between six and seven because the operation went so well."

"I'm a bit gutted, obviously. It's a long injury but I feel good and positive. I can't wait to get my rehab done properly and get back playing."

Reader Comments (5)

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David Barks
1 Posted 30/03/2015 at 15:57:38

These players are trained too hard at too young of an age. The body isn't meant to be worked that hard while its developing, growing. The same issue is going on in the US with baseball and pitchers. These kids play baseball year round now, on the school team and then a club team and then national organization youth teams. Their bodies don't get a chance to rest and grow and they keep blowing out their elbows in their early 20s and sometimes even earlier. It's actually an epidemic in the US and being discussed in the national press now.

Basketball in the US is having similar problems now. Whereas these kids would play in college for 3-4 years and go pro at 22-23, playing a reduced schedule where they're only allowed to train a limited number of hours a week, now they go pro at 19. They immediately go to pushing their bodies to the maximum when they're not done physically developing, and the number of ACL and Achilles injuries is just rising.

Everton would do well to get ahead of this and advertise the fact that they are looking into protecting the youth players so they can have a long and healthy career. Bring in true medical experts who study a youth's body development. Would be a great sales pitch to the talented youth players and their families.

Kieran Kinsella
2 Posted 30/03/2015 at 18:38:26

Does seem that way when you consider the serious injuries sustained by Barkley, Green, Vaughan, Duffus, McAleny, just in the last couple of seasons

Lenny Kingman
3 Posted 30/03/2015 at 18:48:30

The injury problems with Everton and training pitches go back a long way. Bellefield was suspected of causing unnecessary, and unnatural effects on the bodies of young players. State of the art gym et al.

As Bill Shankly said, and his house on Sandforth Road overlooked said facility,

"Yer dinny win football matches indoors."

Nor on astroturf I would further venture.

Minik Hansen
4 Posted 31/03/2015 at 01:43:01

I sense he will become stronger after this experience. All the best to him! One day you'll have your debut, mate, keep working for it!

Harold Matthews
5 Posted 31/03/2015 at 10:21:37

I suffered a similar kind of knee injury at the same age. My team-mates said they almost heard it pop. Came up like a balloon but no op. Eventually healed itself. Can't ever remember being out the game for 6 to 9 months. Played till I was 44 and could have gone on longer. Also cannot remember any of my mates having an op.

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