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Manchester United star Gabby George has insisted that she never doubted her ability to recover from a second anterior cruciate ligament injury, which she picked up soon after joining the club.
In October last year – a month after sealing a permanent switch to United from Everton – George tore her ACL during a 1-1 draw with Leicester City.
It was the second time she suffered the same setback, having previously done the same at Everton in 2020.
George only returned to WSL action in September this year, getting a taste of the action in a 3-0 victory against West Ham at Old Trafford.
14 months after the ACL injury, George is now back in the England squad and is in line to feature for the Lionesses in their upcoming friendlies against the USA and Switzerland. It’s the first time she has been with the national team since November 2022.
Speaking at England’s base [as quoted by BBC], George gave some insight into her recovery journey and the mental fortitude she needed to demonstrate in order to pull through.
“This injury is all about mentality. You will always recover physically but it is mentally where it challenges you. My surgeon on my first ACL injury said ‘there are no guarantees you will come back’ – but I knew I would. The staff knew I had that mentality at United and pushed me every day. I never questioned it.”
“I wanted to do it, I wanted to play football and I wanted to play for Manchester United again. That is what I’ve done.”
“My ultimate aim was to get back out on the pitch, perform and enjoy my football. It’s difficult when you have something taken away from you. You realise how much you want to do it.”
“Getting an international call-up is what dreams are made of. But playing for Manchester United week in, week out, is always what dreams are made of for me.”
She added, “I’m a girl that grew up in Manchester supporting Manchester United. It’s been a great few months but I’m not stopping here. I always want to push on. I always want to improve. I’ve not been perfect. I know that. But I’m happy with where I’m at.”
“I had just signed for Manchester United and I had so many dreams and ambitions that I wanted to achieve and it was all taken away from me within four games.” George continued, “The hardest part of an injury is understanding why, and you never know why. It was a difficult moment and I’m happy to have come through it with the help of Manchester United.”
“The highs are always better than the lows. To anyone that’s going through an ACL, I’d always give them the advice that the mentality is the crucial part. We’ve got so much research on it now to come back from it, it’s just about your mentality – trusting yourself and trusting your knee again.”
The 27-year-old explained that it shows how far she’s come that 12 months ago, she was undergoing surgery and is now back in the England set-up.
Goerge revealed that when she received the call from Sarina Wiegman, she was in disbelief and lost for words. The United defender noted that it’s such little victories that keep her going amidst the difficulties.
Feature image Alex Livesey via Getty Images
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