5 players looking to bounce back from injuries in 2019/20

Injuries are, unfortunately, something that athletes in all sports have to deal with from time to time, and often it seems like some players or athletes are simply more susceptible to them than others. Football is of course no exception and it seems like every season, at least a handful of high-profile players are struck down with them.

Not all of those players end up having a season wrecked by an injury, but sometimes the worst does happen and due to serious injuries, some top players wind up spending practically a whole term on the shelf, being robbed of a year of their careers.

The following 5 players were largely cheated out of a productive 2018/19 due to injuries – and will be hoping to bounce back to prominence and success in 2019/20.

#1 Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is now ready to return following his serious knee injury

Once considered an expensive flop when he initially moved to Liverpool from Arsenal for a pretty huge fee of £35m, nobody would deny that it took Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain some time to settle in at Anfield and embed himself into Jurgen Klopp’s plans.

But once that settling-in period was over, the England midfielder was beginning to establish himself as one of Liverpool’s most outstanding players in 2017/18.

A spot in England’s 2018 World Cup squad looked likely, but then disaster struck as Chamberlain suffered a knee injury that April in Liverpool’s Champions League semi-final win over Roma.

It was revealed a week later that Chamberlain had badly damaged his knee ligaments, but then worse was to follow a few months later when Klopp announced that the midfielder would probably miss the entirety of the 2018/19 season.

Indeed, that was the case, as Chamberlain was forced to rehabilitate his knee for practically the whole season, only returning as a substitute in late April – almost exactly a year after initially suffering the injury. Thankfully though, his injury nightmare now seems to be over, and with any luck, he’ll get a full pre-season under his belt.

Not only will that be great for him, but it could be great for Liverpool too, as his creativity and drive in the middle of the pitch is something that could definitely benefit the Reds next season. It’s a cliche, but for Klopp, a fit Chamberlain could well be just like a new signing.

#2 Rob Holding

A fit Rob Holding could help to shore up Arsenal's questionable defence

2018/19 felt like it would be a breakout year for young Arsenal defender Rob Holding. After coming to the forefront during the latter stages of Arsene Wenger’s reign at the Emirates as part of a back three, Holding was beginning to establish himself as a first-choice defender for new manager Unai Emery at the beginning of the season, appearing in the majority of Arsenal’s games in the first period of the season.

Sadly though, Holding’s season ended up being thoroughly ruined by a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament in Arsenal’s 2-2 draw with Manchester United in December. The England U21 international was immediately ruled out for the remainder of the season, and Arsenal’s defence suffered in his absence, too.

Holding is expected to be back in the early part of 2019/20, and he will hope he can help to shore up a defence that ended up shipping a whopping 51 goals last season.

With Arsenal fans unconvinced by the performances of Sokratis and downright horrified by the errors of Shkodran Mustafi in the centre of their defence, a return for Holding will definitely be welcome.

The 23-year-old admittedly isn’t the finished article right now, but with a pass success rate of 87.5% and strong statistics in defensive areas like clearances, blocks and tackles, if he can return well from his injury then the future for him should be bright.

#3 Joe Gomez

The return of Joe Gomez is a massive plus point for Liverpool

Liverpool defender Joe Gomez actually returned to action in the last few weeks of the 2018/19 season, making 7 appearances for the Reds, but only one saw him last the full 90 minutes – the 3-0 loss to Barcelona in the first leg of the Champions League semi-finals – and it’s pretty clear that it’ll be in 2019/20 where his real comeback begins.

It was easy to forget given how strong Liverpool were throughout the season, but Gomez was absolutely fantastic from the moment the season started to the point where he unfortunately broke his leg in December during a game against Burnley.

The 22-year-old had formed a strong partnership with Virgil Van Dijk at the centre of Liverpool’s defence, and by the time he picked up his injury, his side had only conceded 5 league goals.

Sure, Joel Matip did an admirable job in Gomez’s absence, but there are few Liverpool fans that would prefer to see the Cameroon defender start alongside Van Dijk ahead of the young Englishman.

And in terms of the England national side, the return of Gomez should be a huge boon too. He performed excellently in the recent game against Switzerland, and with John Stones off form, it’s not hard to see that he could become England’s most reliable defender in the near future.

Essentially, 2019/20 is a huge season for Gomez, and if he can remain fit, he could cement himself as one of the Premier League’s top defenders.

#4 Lewis Cook

Could a healthy Lewis Cook help to solve England's midfield issues?

With all of the talk about England’s midfield shortcomings following their UEFA Nations League loss to the Netherlands last week, one man whose name was not mentioned in terms of being able to fill the hole was Bournemouth’s Lewis Cook.

That was hardly surprising given Cook has been on the shelf since December due to an anterior cruciate ligament injury, but in reality, if he can come back to full fitness, he could well make an impact on the national team.

He was missed by Bournemouth following his injury, too. The captain of England’s victorious U20 World Cup side in 2017, Cook is an excellent midfielder capable of controlling a game with his smart passing range, and while the Cherries have some excellent attacking firepower in the form of players like David Brooks, Ryan Fraser and Callum Wilson, the return of Cook will give them a far stronger spine.

Cook is expected to return for the start of the 2019/20 season and the likelihood is that – assuming he shows no lasting effects of his injury – he will be able to force himself right back into Bournemouth’s starting XI. If he can do that and pick up where he left off last season, then the chance of him adding to his solitary England cap too should increase greatly.

#5 Callum Hudson-Odoi

Callum Hudson-Odoi ruptured his Achilles tendon in an April game against Burnley

Chelsea youngster Callum Hudson-Odoi didn’t spend as much time on the shelf in 2018/19 as the previous four players on this list, but his injury was perhaps the most heartbreaking of the five.

After showing flashes of brilliance in a handful of cameo appearances – largely in the Europa League – in the early part of the season, by the spring Hudson-Odoi had just begun to break into the Blues’ Premier League starting line-up, and even managed to pick up his first two senior England caps.

Despite his burgeoning success though – Hudson-Odoi provided an assist in his first Premier League start against Brighton and was also named in the first XI for Chelsea’s next 3 games – disaster struck as he ruptured his Achilles tendon against Burnley and was then sidelined for the remainder of the season.

The 18-year-old is reportedly going to be out until around October, but assuming he can make a full recovery from what is a serious injury, he should certainly find himself in Chelsea’s first team plans for the 2019/20 season given their upcoming transfer ban and the sale of Eden Hazard to Real Madrid.

Hudson-Odoi will almost certainly be looking to bounce back from the injury as soon as possible, and if he can live up to the potential he showed in 2018/19, his re-emergence could be a massive boost for Chelsea as they head into what could be a pivotal part of the upcoming season.