‘The worst part’… 27-year-old midfielder claims injury ruined his Arsenal career 

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Former Arsenal midfielder Gedion Zelalem believes an injury hampered his progress and ultimately ruined his career at the Emirates Stadium.

Gedion Zelalem left Arsenal back in 2019 as he made the switch to MLS outfit Kansas City.

The 27-year-old initially joined the Gunners during the 2011-12 campaign and enjoyed loan spells at Rangers and Dutch outfit VVV-Venlo.

Way back in January 2014, Zelalem made his debut for Arsenal in the FA Cup against Coventry City and displayed talent way beyond his years.

His spell at Rangers was promising as he performed well under Mark Warburton but he did struggle for minutes at Venlo thereafter.

However, it all went wrong for Zelalem during an Under-20 game for the USA in May 2017 where he suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament.

The injury kept him sidelined for a total of 467 days and Zelalem feels that ultimately prevented him from succeeding at Arsenal.

Zelalem claims injury ruined his Arsenal career

Speaking to The Athletic, Zelalem opened up on his struggles with the significant injury during his spell in north London. 

“I still think if I hadn’t got my anterior cruciate ligament injury, things would have gone differently at Arsenal, even though I had stagnated and gone out on loan,” he said.

“I was out for six months, but then I needed another surgery and was out for over 400 days. The worst part was I was nowhere near myself for two or three years.

“Not being as nimble as I was was hard to take because I was always one of the best players on my team. To go from that to not being that guy was really difficult.

“I never got rhythm and playing time, so I could never truly get match fit. On the outside looking in, people may not have seen much of a difference, but as a player you know your body and how you used to play.

“It’s only been in the last two years that I’ve truly felt like myself again.”

Zelalem displayed plenty of promise during the early stages of his Arsenal career and racked up four first-team appearances for the club as a teenager.

You have to feel for the midfielder after picking up such a serious injury at a pivotal time in his career.

It ultimately hampered his progress at Arsenal and has since played his football in the MLS.

Zelalem joined Dutch outfit FC Den Bosch back in January last year and is now playing in the Dutch second tier.