Wanderers star Radoslaw Majewski facing season-ending injury
The Western Sydney Wanderers have been dealt a heavy blow ahead of the new season with star import Radoslaw Majewski’s season in tatters after a disastrous training injury.
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Western Sydney Wanderers will be without Polish playmaker Radoslaw Majewski until at least January and most likely the whole season, after scans confirmed he has ruptured both the ACL and MCL ligaments in his knee.
Medical advice to Majewski is that he can have the injury repaired surgically immediately and face at least nine months of rehabilitation - or wait for up to two months to see if the ligaments start to repair by themselves, something doctors say is only an outside chance at best.
In the unlikely event that happened, Majewski could be back early in the New Year, but will have to have the surgery if there is no obvious progress.
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A final decision will be made in coming days, after Majewski collided with teammate Dylan McGowan during training on Tuesday and sensed immediately that the injury was serious.
The diagnosis is a crushing blow for one of Western Sydney Wanderers’ star imports for the new season.
Majewski was considered crucial to coach Markus Babbel’s plans for the new season and the former Nottingham Forest midfielder is said to be distraught at the news.
The timing gives Western Sydney almost no time to find a replacement, with captain Mitch Duke or Kwame Yeboah likely to be pressed into service in the short term as the creative hub.
The 32-year-old Majewski was signed to bring a level of creativity to the Wanderers’ attacks that has been missing in recent seasons, and had shown signs of his class in the 7-0 demolition of Sydney United earlier this month.
Having played nine times for the Polish national team he is close friends with former Sydney FC star Adrian Mierzejewsky, who advised him on his move to the Wanderers.
From a league-wide point of view the news compounds the injury suffered last week by Newcastle Jets new signing Wes Hoolahan, after the Irish international was hurt in the FFA Cup loss to Adelaide.
After losing their FFA Cup quarterfinal to Melbourne City last week, Western Sydney kick off their A-League season at home to the Mariners on October 12 – the night they return to Parramatta to play at the new Bankwest Stadium.
Western Sydney have already dodged one bullet in pre-season, with Duke ready for round one after tearing a meniscus last month – an injury that had initially be seen as a suspected ACL injury.
Babbel has overseen a complete overhaul of the squad he inherited last season, bringing in former Bundesliga Golden Boot winner Alexander Meier late last week as well as Swiss midfielder Pirmin Schwegler and Swiss goalkeeper Daniel Lopar.
The fitness of centreback Patrick Ziegler remains in doubt, as he continues to deal with knee problems almost a year after having an operation on his meniscus.
Ziegler only played six times last season after the operation, and has missed the whole of the club’s pre-season so far.
The Wanderers did not respond to a request for comment on Majewski’s injury.
Originally published as Wanderers star Radoslaw Majewski facing season-ending injury