Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
NI CRUCIATE CURSE STRIKES AGAIN
O’neill loses fourth player to serious injury
NORTHERN Ireland’s cruciate curse has struck again with Burton Albion new boy Liam Boyce the latest victim of a sickening sequence.
It was confirmed yesterday that Boyce will miss most of next season after suffering a serious knee injury during Saturday’s friendly defeat to Shrewsbury Town (inset).
It is a devastating blow for the 26-year-old who joined Burton for a club record fee from Ross County in June.
The former Cliftonville striker was hopeful he had avoided serious injury when the pain in his left knee abated over the weekend, but a scan on Monday revealed a ruptured ACL.
A source close to the player said: “Liam had been hoping to make a big impression in his first season with Burton, so it is a hammer blow.
“He had been feeling a lot better over the weekend and was hoping for the best, so it was a real shock to him when the cruciate injury was confirmed.
“It’s a lot to take in just a month after joining a new club, but Liam is a positive thinker and is determined to get surgery, start his rehab and get back playing again as soon as possible.”
Boyce’s absence is a major setback for Northern Ireland boss Michael O’neill who has now seen four of his players fall victim to
ACL injuries in the past 18 months.
West Brom star
Chris Brunt cruelly missed out on the
Euro 2016 finals in
France after damaging his anterior cruciate in a Premier League game in March 2016.
Doncaster defender Luke Mccullough also sat out most of last season after suffering a similar injury last summer, while Paddy Mcnair sustained an anterior cruciate injury in November.
Boyce, last season’s top goalscorer in the Scottish Premiership, will miss the climax to Northern Ireland’s World Cup campaign.
The national team, who lie second behind runaway leaders Germany in Group C, travel to San Marino on September 1 before hosting the Czech Republic three days later.
The pool concludes with a double header in October against the Germans (H) and Norway (A) with a potential two legged playoff scheduled for November.
Boyce opened his international account in a friendly win over New Zealand at the end of last season and started June’s crucial 1-0 qualifying win over Azerbaijan in June.
Following his move to Burton just six weeks ago, boss O’neill said: “Burton are the perfect fit for Liam at this stage of his career and I think it’s a great opportunity for him. There’s no limit to where he can go.”