Harry Souttar: ‘Until last season, I never really felt like a Stoke player’

10-Feb-2022 11:00:19 | Guardian

Australia defender on flying back to England with an ACL injury, how his club fortunes changed and the target as he battles back

There could never be a good place to sustain an anterior cruciate ligament injury. The crushing blow sustained by Harry Souttar in Sydney arrived with immediate realisation that he had to complete a lengthy journey back home to England. Leg one, to Dubai, at least came with support given Souttar’s international colleagues were heading for a World Cup qualifier against China.

“Leg room on planes isn’t great for me anyway but with this injury it was 10 times worse,” says Souttar, who stands at 6ft 6in. “The physios were unbelievable at trying to look after me even though it was a night flight, topping up ice and giving medication.”