FORMER Arsenal wonderkid Stefan O’Connor has opened up on the injury that forced him to abandon his football career at age 23.
The 28-year-old was once a highly-touted defensive prospect, given a professional debut under .
Former Arsenal starlet Stefan O’Connor was forced to retire after picking up an ACL injuryCredit: Getty
He says the persistent knock confused doctorsCredit: Getty
Having started his career in the academy at , he made the switch to as a boy.
He would be handed a debut at the age of 17 when he came on in a 4-1 win over in 2014.
But things would start taking a turn for the 6ft 4in centre back when he was released by the club just three years later after multiple loan spells.
He would sign up with , but things would go from bad to worse for the youngster when he picked up an Anterior Cruciate Ligament injury that seemed to refuse to heal.
He told the Highs and Lows podcast earlier this year: “I have never felt pain like that. I know I completely tore it, I couldn’t walk. My knee felt loose.
“After about 30 minutes, I was on crutches, and I was on Google straightaway because ACL was just letters to me at the time.
“I went home and woke up the next morning, and my knee was bigger than my quad, and I just said, ‘I am done’.”
O’Connor, who also starred for at youth level, said the persistent nature of the injury baffled doctors and left his career stuck in limbo.
The north-east club eventually released the injured man from their squad, but did hand him a short-term contract to support him as he recovered.
O’Connor continued: “It was a long journey to get fit. My knee kept swelling up. I was getting it drained every other month, and no one could figure out what was wrong.
“We got to about 13 months in, and I trained for five minutes, and it was like, ‘yeah, you are done. No new contract, you are done.'”
The Croydon-born star was forced to retire at just 23, but now he is using his expertise to help teach the next generation of footballers their craft.
He initially retrained in law and worked as a legal administrator, but he soon returned to the game that had defined his early life.
, a business aimed at helping develop future stars from grassroots to the professional level.
He also coaches for National League side Woking FC, and works with performance and injury rehabilitation group FSCR.
