Newcastle star discusses ‘biggest challenge’ of his career

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Newcastle defender Emil Krafth has opened up about his experiences of recovering from a serious injury.

Emil Krafth sustained an anterior cruciate ligament injury last August, whilst playing for Newcastle United in a League Cup clash with Tranmere Rovers. The injury ended his season.

Now, almost a year later, Krafth is close to a come back.

As quoted by Chronicle Live, the Swedish right-back has said: “It has been a long road for me…But now I see the light at the end of the tunnel. I’m getting closer and closer now, there are only a few weeks to go. I am trying to build up my fitness and hopefully I will be back with the team pretty soon.”

Eddie Howe will be hoping that Krafth can still play a key role for the club this season. He has supported the 28-year-old in his recovery, which the club have managed very cautiously. Discussing the extent of his lay-off, Krafth said: “I don’t want to take any chances. If you only do six or seven months maybe you’ll do exactly the same again. That’s why I was prepared to take a little bit longer to come back. 100% – it’s my biggest injury by far…this is my biggest and biggest challenge in my career so far.”

Krafth set for welcome return

Krafth will be warmly welcomed back into the fold when he does eventually make his return at St James’ Park. Prior to his injury, he had shown some real quality for the Magpies. The 42-cap Sweden international played a key role in the 2021/22 campaign.

When fully fit once more, he will be capable of pushing the likes of Javier Manquillo and the veteran Kieran Trippier for a starting berth.

That being said, the standards are now higher at Newcastle than they were when he sustained his injury. Howe’s side are a Champions League club, and there is an elevated level of expectation that comes with that. It may take some time for Krafth to rediscover his form after a such a long absence. It will be fascinating to see how much patience the manager shows if the full-back struggles to impress when he’s back out on the pitch.

For now, though, the full focus will be on ensuring that the final stages of Krafth’s lengthy rehabilitation go smoothly.