LEWIS FERGUSON has an invite from Steve Clarke to come and watch Scotland in action at Euro 2024 and be around the group.
He’s just not sure whether his knee will have healed sufficiently for him to use it.
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The Bologna star was nailed on for a squad spot at the continental showpiece in Germany this summer after a remarkable season which seems likely to end with the Rossoblu earning a Champions League spot.
Instead he’s now nursing a painful cruciate knee ligament injury severe enough that he isn’t even sure if he’ll be able to come to the games and watch.
Not to mention coming to terms with the hit his hopes of joining one of transfer suitors Juventus, Napoli or Milan in a £20m plus move this summer.
The former Hamilton and Aberdeen star has given a revealing interview to the Daily Mail this morning – where he has opened up on the torment he is going through.
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He said: “Half of it is mental, half of it is physical.
“‘I spoke to the doctors and the physios doing my rehab and they all said the same thing.
“It’s just as challenging mentally as it is physically.
‘Physically, it’s hard now because you can’t move, you are on crutches, your leg is in a brace.
“You can’t do anything yourself. I literally can’t do anything.
“My partner Lauren is having to put my clothes on for me and wash me. Honestly, it’s soul destroying.
‘I’m on the couch all day using a machine to ice my leg and watching TV, waiting for the time to pass.
‘It has been really difficult. People outside of football might look at it as a footballer being injured and part of football, of course.
‘But most of my happiness comes from just playing football and, in an instant, it just gets taken away from you.”
Ferguson says he has been blown away by the support he has received from everyone since being struck down with the injury.
His Bologna team-mates held up the strip with his No 19 on it and have FaceTimed him after matches.
Then there was the classy gesture from Steve Clarke.
“Just after the news broke, he [Clarke] gave me a call just to wish me well and speak to me.
“He gave me his support and said if I needed anything or needed to talk or chat the offer was there.
“He said he was devastated for me with such a big summer coming up.
“It’s nice to feel the support of everybody, even if it’s not a nice time.
“All the players in the squad got in touch urging me to keep the head up.
“I spoke to Nathan Patterson when he messaged me in hospital wishing me well.
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“I then watched his game against Chelsea the next day and he got injured as well.
“That was devastating for him and I felt for him because you spend a couple of years looking forward to the possibility of playing at the Euros, we do so well in qualification and you are waiting for the summer when it’s all taken away from you.
“It’s difficult to accept, but I have come round now and started to accept that it’s life as a footballer.
“The manager said to me that if I wanted to come over to Germany and watch any of the games I was more than welcome.
“The SFA would sort everything out, which was a nice touch.
“I’m going to wait and see how I feel, but I will be supporting the boys whether I’m in Germany or at home in Italy.
‘It all depends on my rehab programme. If I get a wee bit of time off I will try to get over to Germany to support the guys.
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‘If not, I’ll be there with them in spirit.”
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