Martin Boyle has revealed he might have been playing through an ACL injury for up to SEVEN years before his World Cup heartbreak.
The Hibs star suffered a hammer blow when an ACL problem ruled him out of Qatar, and that misery was compounded when his club later revealed he won't kick a ball again this season. Speaking to the media in his homeland, he admits the problem could have been in the works since as far back as 2015. He said: “Basically what I have is a discoid meniscus, where I’ve got a larger meniscus than normal. So that was keeping everything in place, it was keeping my cruciate stable, and long story short, I could have had this ACL injury for about six, seven years and been playing through it.
“It’s a bit of a tricky one. I’ve been trying to digest it myself - you get put to sleep and you wake up and your whole knee’s been reconstructed. I think that’s why I’m kind of optimistic. I’ve played that long with an injury that’s severe, and when I did damage the meniscus it’s kind of just not been stable enough for my ACL to hold and that’s why I’ve had that surgery.”
But he isn't letting his season-ending injury keep him down after being appointed Australia's "official vibes manager" for their World Cup campaign.
The Aussies have refused to send him home with manager Graham Arnold pulling Boyle, crutches and all, into the celebrations after a win over Tunisia sent them to within one point of qualifying for the knockout stages for only the second time in their history. Speaking to the media in his homeland, Boyle said: “I’ve been better. But it is what it is.
"I normally take everything in my stride. It’s certainly not ideal to get so close to the major tournament and for this injury to occur – but I can be proud and keep my head held high and through the qualifying campaign and say I’ve done my bit. And obviously to stay here and support the lads, and experience all of it, It’s perfect for me."
He's been handed the title of "vibes manager" according to Aussie media and Boyle went on: “(My job is) keeping the spirits up. To be fair, most of them can be a bit miserable. I think that’s why they’ve kept me around mostly.
“I’m very appreciative that they’ve kept me around. It obviously means a lot. It feels like I’m really part of the team. Obviously they rate me around the place, which is nice.
“It feels special to me and obviously a bit of a down moment for me but as long as I can keep smiles on their faces that’s all I’m worried about.”
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