Republic of Ireland under-21 international and Sligo native Liam Kerrigan has confirmed that he has torn his cruciate ligament and will be out of football for the remainder of his debut season with Italian Serie B side Como 1907.
The Tubbecurry man posted a message on the club's Facebook page on Monday evening (in both English and Italian) to explain that an injury picked up in training last week had been diagnosed as anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) damage.
The FAI announced on Monday morning that Kerrigan was one of four players to withdraw from the Irish under-21 squad for this Friday night's Euro U21 play-off against Israel.
Now, the extent of the injury is set to keep him out of action until next season.
It's a cruel blow for the 22-year-old who has impressed in Italy since joining Como from UCD during the summer.
Below is the text of Kerrigan's Facebook statement on Monday:
“This is so tough to write. But, during training last week I got injured. My ACL is torn. The pain was so intense but faded quickly so much so I thought I was ok but the coaching staff knew straight away something was not right. Although not on the pitch on Saturday I was there in the stands cheering on the team, celebrating the goals and I will be there as much as I can, because this is my team now. Although this is a massive blow for me, I am so grateful that I have a club like this behind me. I know they will do everything they can to get me back playing again and are already doing so. As much as I would love that to be in a few weeks I know I have to be patient and recover, get strong again. My Serie B debut was such a massive moment, that goal is etched in my memory. I know we have not had the start we wanted but I know the team has what it takes to turn our fortunes round.
Today, I am getting some specific tests and then we will figure out what will be the best treatment. All I know is that I can't wait to get back in shape and be able to play in front of the fans again.
Forza Como."
