Scans today have confirmed that Mitch Cooper has ruptured the ACL in his left knee and will require season ending surgery.
Scans today have confirmed that Hunter Ports Newcastle Jets attacking midfielder Mitch Cooper has ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his left knee and will require season ending surgery.
The knee is the opposite of the one Cooper had operated on at the end of the 2012/13 Hyundai A-League season.
Cooper sustained his current injury as the result of a poor challenge during the Newcastle Jets- National Youth League clash with Western Sydney Wanderers at Wanderers Oval in Broadmeadow on Sunday.
The 19-year-old was making just his fifth appearance for the Jets youth team since recovering from the ruptured ACL in his right knee.
“As Mitch skipped past one of their defenders he was pulled back by his shoulder and twisted to the ground in one motion,” Jets physiotherapist Robert Dingle explained.
“With his left leg being planted on the ground all of the twisting load was placed through his knee.
“It’s devastating for Mitch considering he was just starting to get into the grind of playing games and starting to look quite good.
“Mitch will start his rehabilitation process straight away and will be supported by the Club in every way possible.
“He will have great training partner in Scott Neville and I’m sure they will both support and encourage each other and come back bigger and stronger next season.”
Cooper said he was extremely disappointed to have suffered his second ACL injury in the space of just nine months, he vowed to bounce back strongly from the setback.
“The way it felt when I went down, I knew it wasn-t good at all,” Cooper said.
“It-s difficult to take the second time around, but I already know what I need to do to come back from an injury like this because I-ve done it once before.
“I know that if I do the right things with my rehab I-ll come back stronger.
“I-ve already got a lot of messages of support from all my teammates and people at the Club and I know they-ll all be there to help me get back to my best.”
