Oliver Arblaster shares defiant Sheffield United message after "endless pain" admission ahead of potential Sheffield Wednesday return
Oliver Arblaster shares defiant Sheffield United message on unwelcome anniversary after "endless pain" admission
Until that point his career had largely taken a one-way trajectory. Then, on this day last year, with a ‘pop’ of the knee, everything changed for Oliver Arblaster. What has followed in the last 12 months has, in the Sheffield United starlet’s own words, been “endless nights of pain and tears.”
But there is light at the end of the tunnel with a return edging ever closer - and the poignant opportunity of a potential return after the international break against United’s arch-rivals Wednesday, who were the opposition 12 months ago when Arblaster damaged his anterior cruciate ligament.
Returns from that injury are not as rare as they once were but also are not without their difficulties, with the recovery process taking both a physical and mental toil in the long year since that fateful afternoon on which Tyrese Campbell scored the winning goal to write himself into United folklore.
Speaking to The Star in pre-season, Arblaster revealed that sessions with a United-related therapist have helped him through the intervening months while a recent return to full-time training was another key milestone.
Oliver Arblaster shares defiant Sheffield United message on unwelcome anniversary after "endless pain" admission
Writing on Instagram earlier today Arblaster said: “Three hundred and sixty five days on since the biggest low in my life. Twelve months that have brought me plenty of awful days along the way, with endless nights of pain and tears. But one thing for sure, it's taught me a hell of a lot. Still pushing, and I can't wait to put that shirt on again soon.”
He will be desperate for that to happen at Hillsborough but whether it does remains to be seen, with boss Chris Wilder keen to ensure that his talented young midfielder is not rushed back ahead of time after such a long period on the sidelines.
Speaking recently Wilder said: “Now, we still have to plot that path very carefully with him as well, making sure the timing of this is right. There are not going to be any long-standing issues with him. ACLs are not ACLs from 20 or 30 years ago.
“Look at Alan Shearer, who had one when he was 19 and went on to play 500 games and smash all sorts of records. So you need a bit of luck, and we need to give him time and space as well to recapture the form and the promise that he showed everybody previously here at the club.”