Nottingham Forest defender Omar Richards has issued an emotional statement about the injury nightmare he has endured since joining the club.
Richards joined the club from Bayern Munich for €8.5m (£7.3m) in the summer of 2022, but has not made a single appearance for Forest as he struggled with injuries. The 25-year-old has spoken at length for the first time about what he has been going through over the past 12 months.
Taking to Instagram, Richards detailed what life has been like for the last year, and has said he “will be ready” for the start of the 2023-24 season – which is now just over a week away.
Richards wrote: “Where do I start… Just wanted to give an update on what’s been going on and where I’ve been for the past year. Last year was the most difficult year in my career so far. Having just joined Forest I couldn’t wait to kick on and be able to help the team but a few days in I was told I have a fracture in my shin and will need to operate. 5 months later I was finally on the grass again and excited to join the team after world cup had finished.
“I flew out to Dubai to train and got myself in really good shape but every day after I trained I was in pain. I then spoke with the surgeon and we decided it was best to remove one of the metal pins that was put in during the surgery to help my bone heal as it was rubbing against another bone and causing discomfort. This was soo frustrating because I had made progress but this setback would keep me out for a few more months. Having to then watch each game while the team was going through some tough moments and I could do nothing to help was killing me every day.
“I was working hard to try and come back before the season finished but time was running out. I was nearly back to team training with not long left of the season, I had this pain in my groin area for a little while but it was getting worse as time went on. Went for a scan and then found out I had a hernia on both sides – I felt like I just couldn’t catch a break and I’ve never had long term injuries before so it wasn’t easy to deal with this mentally.
“At that point my season was over so I just wanted to have the operation and get the hernia fixed asap so that I could do all my rehab work in the off season and come back strong with no injury issues for the new season. So yeah that’s where I’m at now, I’m feeling good and been gradually building in pre season so that I will be ready for the start of the season.
“Also I appreciate all the messages of support a lot of you have sent, hopefully this season will be a good one!”
Make no mistake – Nottingham Forest’s return to the Premier League was a roaring success.
Staying in the division was the aspiration and the primary goal, and it was mission successful.
There is no doubt that it was a turbulent first campaign back for Steve Cooper and his side, and now the emphasis will be on stability.
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It costs £3, on sale for advance order on the online shop NOW and in retail outlets from July 26
