Football can be very rough at times; a tackle a second too late or an awkward landing here and there can lead to career-ending injuries. Coming back from an ACL tier, a dislocated ankle or a fractured fibula, to play with the same drive and at the same level is always tough for any player.
Luke Shaw was one such victim to an unfortunate incident earlier in the season. On 15th September 2015, in a game against Dutch side PSV in the group stage of the UEFA Champions League, the Manchester United full-back was on the receiving end of a poor challenge by defender Hector Moreno, which resulted in a double fracture on his right leg and the Englishman has not yet returned to competitive football.
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However, we saw some players come back from injury setbacks this season and perform for their teams when needed most, some even improving their form and returning stronger than ever. We take a look at five of the best comebacks from injury in the 2015/16 Premier League season.
#1 Alexis Sanchez
It was typical bad luck for Arsenal when they were soaring up atop the Premier League table and lost Sanchez to a hamstring injury, that too when the Chilean was looking in the best of form.
Alexis picked up a hamstring injury in the Premier League clash against Norwich and was sidelined for almost two months. But he came back strong, scoring 7 goals and creating 38 chances in his 16 appearances after January.
The star forward was largely the reason behind Arsenal’s strong finish to the season, as they leapfrogged bitter rivals Tottenham Hotspurs to finish in second position. Since his arrival, Arsenal suffered only three defeats and went on to finish the season with an impressive 10-game undefeated run in the league. The stunner he scored in the penultimate game against City just proved the talent of the former Barcelona man.
Sanchez will look to answer his critics by leading Chile to success in Copa America yet again this summer. Chile won their first ever Copa America in last year’s tournament by defeating Argentina in the final and will be depending on their main man to fire on all fronts when they start their campaign on June 7th.
#2 Dimitri Payet
West Ham started their campaign brilliantly with away wins against Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester City and at home to Chelsea and Dimitri Payet was running the show for the Hammers.
Their form took a severe hit when the Frenchman suffered a ligament tear in his ankle in November and was ruled out for up to 4 months. Payet missed seven games in the Premier League, and his absence was evident at Upton Park as West Ham won only one of the seven fixtures.
The £10.7million signing from Marseille showed his class after making a comeback for the club in January, featuring in the crucial win against Liverpool and guiding West Ham to a second consecutive victory over the Anfield outfit, scoring from a trademark curling free-kick and assisting another goal.
After his comeback in January, Payet took West Ham back to winning ways, subsequently creating 70 chances and scoring 4 goals himself. The inventive midfielder was also called on to play for the national team in friendlies against Netherlands and Russia and was one of the best players on the field for France.
#3 Fraser Forster
Forster suffered a horrifying career-threatening knee injury last year in March and was unable to even walk for several months. He missed the first half of the season, but after being away from any action for 10 months, easily strolled back into the Southampton side.
Since November, Southampton had managed only one win in eight games and conceded 11 goals, dropping points against relegation-threatened Aston Villa and Norwich City leading into January, but found their momentum again following the return of the England International.
Forster bounced back with 6 clean sheets immediately after his comeback steering Southampton to an unbeaten run of 6 games, including wins against Manchester United and West Ham and a draw against Arsenal, making 11 saves to single-handedly earn a point at the Emirates stadium.
Southampton ended the season with wins against Liverpool, Manchester City and Tottenham and qualified for the Europa League, finishing sixth in the League. Following his form, the 6ft-7in stopper even earned a call-up to the England squad for the upcoming Euro 2016.
#4 Kevin De Bruyne
De Bruyne had a stellar start to his Manchester City career after arriving last summer for a club-record transfer fee of £55 million, making him the second most expensive transfer in British football history.
The Belgian contributed 12 goals and 12 assists after joining from Wolfsburg, justifying his record-smashing fee. Before the forward tore a knee ligament in the 3-1 win against Everton on 27th January, City had suffered only one defeat since early December.
Manuel Pellegrini later conceded that the club’s form was hit hard after losing their star-midfielder to injury, which was clearly evident as City endured five defeats in the seven weeks that were to follow the playmaker’s absence, including three in a row, two of which were in the league.
De Bruyne was the driving force behind City’s revival following his comeback, leading the charge in a 4-0 drubbing of Bournemouth right after returning to the first team. They went on to win three consecutive matches in the League to get a strong-hold on the fourth spot and eased past PSG into the semi-finals of Champions League courtesy of a brilliant curling effort by the former Chelsea man.
#5 Daniel Sturridge
The notion of a fully fit Sturridge is now seeming as elusive to Liverpool fans as a Premier League title, but his goal against Sevilla in the Europa League proved just how deadly the striker can be when fit to play.
Sturridge suffered three injury setbacks this season alone, missing 33 games for The Reds, but the striker has always delivered whenever he has been fit enough to play. The forward has started in only 7 games in all competitions, making a total of 17 appearances, but has still managed to notch up 13 goals and 2 assists.
The England international made a proper comeback to the first team in March and scored 5 goals in 6 league games, proving his worth to the team. Sturridge also played crucial roles in the road to the Europa League final, scoring and creating chances in the clash against Manchester United and the semi-final against Villareal.
Despite being out for so long, Sturridge averaged a goal every 122 minutes this season, and the fact that he was still named by Roy Hodgson in the Euro 2016 squad proves his match-winning credentials as a finisher.
