Young Arsenal goalkeeper Tom Smith is facing a spell on the sidelines after suffering a knee injury while on loan at Salisbury.
Smith, who had previously been part of the U23s set-up at Arsenal, joined Salisbury in the summer in a bid to take his first steps into the senior game.
According to a report from Non-League Daily, Smith suffered the injury during the weekend’s clash against Hartley Wintney.
Tom has torn his cartilage in his knee (Medial Meniscus). He has also sustained ligament damage in his ankle. He is due to see a knee specialist this afternoon, but it is likely that he will require surgery in his knee.
We won’t know if his ankle will require surgery, for the next week or so. He is likely to be absent from training for 8-12 weeks minimum, and will remain with us until his is fully fit.
As a result of the injury, Arsenal have cancelled the loan and the player is now expected to return to the club to begin his rehabilitation.
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This really is a cruel blow for the player. Just when he’s trying to make his way in the senior game, he appears to have ruled himself out for at least eight weeks by merely trying to make a save late on.
Smith will need to just as strong mentally as he’ll need to be physically to get over this first hurdle in his senior career.
Smith had been impressing there as well, which makes the injury even more of a shame. Shortly after joining the club, he was named as the Man of the Match in his debut against Gosport Borough.
He’ll surely be hoping to recover as soon as possible and potentially look for another loan move in the new year in a bid to kick start his career.
