Aaron Lennon could be facing a club vs. country decision
Aaron Lennon’s groin injury that he sustained playing for Tottenham versus West Ham on December 28th is suddenly an injury of massive proportions. The England international was originally slated to be out three weeks, but that is no longer the case as a recent scan showed that the groin is not only not healing, but is being complicated by a hernia problem. Now, should the next two weeks of rehab not go well, Lennon will face a decision that will affect that rest of the Premier League, the UEFA Champions League and this summer’s World Cup.
Spurs manager Harry Redknapp sounded very pessimistic about the chances of the next two weeks of rehab doing what needs to be done to get his midfielder healthy. That would leave everybody, from Spurs to England, in quite a pinch, Assuming that Redknapp’s worst fears are realized, what options will Lennon have?
One option Lennon will have will be to undergo the surgery immediately to get him back to full fitness, but doing so would rule him out for multiple months and only get him back for the waning weeks of the Premier League season. That would be a crippling blow to Tottenham, who would be without the man who has been their best attacker this season. It would seriously damage their hopes to earn the final Champions League place. The prestige and millions that come along with it would almost be thrown out the window if Lennon chose to go with immediate surgery because it is highly unlikely that Spurs could hold onto the fourth place spot that they currently occupy without the speedy winger. The surgery would get Lennon back in May though, enough time to play in ten matches or so between club and country so he can reach full fitness ahead of June’s World Cup.
The second option Lennon has is to delay surgery and play out the rest of the Premier League season below full fitness. That would certainly hurt his play, which is so much dependent on his blazing speed. The surgery would have to be delayed until one of two times: immediately after the Premier League season concludes or immediately after the World Cup concludes. Either way, choosing not to have the surgery in two weeks time gives England no Aaron Lennon for the World Cup or an injured Aaron Lennon. That does not bode well for a side whose other options are Theo Walcott, Sean Wright-Phillips and David Beckham, none of whom are playing to their peak at the moment. Lennon’s availability would have a huge impact on the World Cup right from the get-go, as Lennon was surely to be counted upon to attack the United States’ weak left back position. It would have been a match altering match-up in Rustenburg, with one of England’s strong spots going at the American’s weak spots, but now that is in doubt.
So, what does Aaron Lennon do? This is a matter of club or country, but not so cut and try because there is also the option of choosing both, but at less than full strength. There is a great deal riding on this possible and likely imminent decision by Lennon. From World Cup glory to Champions League millions, whatever Aaron Lennon chooses will reverberate from England to South Africa to the United States.
Recent Comments