Liverpool goalkeeper Michael Stensgaard is renowned for suffering one of the strangest injuries Anfield has ever seen
On this day in 1994, Liverpool signed goalkeeper Michael Stensgaard from Hvidovre.
Despite failing to make an appearance under Roy Evans during his two seasons at the club, the Dane would write his name into Reds folklore for sustaining one of the strangest injuries of any Liverpool player past or present.
Arriving at Anfield from his native Denmark in the summer of 1994, Stensgaard was initially tasked with serving as David James’ understudy. However, his stint on Merseyside was derailed after he dislocated his shoulder – when using an ironing board in the months after his arrival.
The injury ultimately prohibited Stensgaard from ever making an appearance for the Reds and later caused him further problems with his shoulder, which led to surgery and ultimately a premature retirement from the game, aged just 26.
After over a year on the sidelines following the peculiar injury, Liverpool and Stensgaard agreed to mutually terminate his contract in 1996. He would return to Hvidovre as a back-up goalkeeper before joining Copenhagen and Southampton in his later years.
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Now aged 48, Stensgaard is a FIFA-licensed player agent and also works as a mentor for athletes as well as people from the business world.
Stensgaard’s injury was not the last time that Liverpool, and specifically their goalkeeping department, were struck down by misfortune in bizarre circumstances.
In 2017, when a young Caoimhin Kelleher was making a name for himself during reserve games at Melwood, he was briefly sidelined by an insect bite. The freak happening left the then 17-year-old Republic of Ireland international on crutches and out of action for a couple of days.
Speaking to the ECHO at the time, former under-21s boss Michael Beale was quick to ease any fears when the youngster was spotted hobbling around Melwood on crutches.