Injuries are the worst. They hampen your development, especially when you're young. And, Everton's 20-year-old centre-back John Stones is now out for 3 months with damaged ankle ligaments after suffering the injury in their 2-1 defeat against Manchester United on the weekend. Manager Roberto Martinez has stated that the young startlet needs surgery to repair it, and he could be out for up to 14 weeks as a result.
He landed awkwardly on his ankle after winning a header late on in the game, and left the pitch in a stretcher as he was unable to walk off, eventually leaving Old Trafford in a protective boot. He was consequently forced to withdraw from the England squad afterwards, and now Martinez has given official confirmation on his injury.
Martinez said this: "John will need surgery, which will give us a perfecct recovery for his left ankle, we expect him to be out for probably the next 10-to-14 weeks, depending on how everything goes. It's a clear injury - not a complicated injury. Obviously, it's a little bit of a setback because you don't want to lose any players but, in John's case, we were very worried in the moment that it happened because those injuries can become a little bit difficult to treat. But this one is going to be straightforward and we are already counting down the days for him to come back, and we'll make sure he comes back stronger and ready for the final and most important part of the season."
It's a real shame for the defender, who has started the 2014-15 campaign off well and has become a regular first-team player in the Everton side after his £3million pound move in January 2013 from Burnley; earning a call-up to the senior squad in the process and impressing overall in a team which has helped him develop in all areas of his game. He will not feature until 2015, but as Martinez said, he will come back stronger than before to re-establish himself quickly.
Also, it's bad for The Toffees. They have struggled so far this season, failing to juggle the Europa League and Premier League within days of each other, currently sitting in 17th place. Distin, Coleman, McCarthy and Mirallas are all out with their respective injuries, and the only encouraging news is that attacking midfielder Ross Barkley is ahead of schedule and set to restart training next week as he nears a return to first-team action after missing the start of the campaign.
