Sydney FC star defender Kirsty Fenton has opened up about her ACL rupture for the first time as she looks to return back to the field within the next three months.
A star in the making, Fenton has been a vital piece to the Sky Blues' success over the past few seasons, but her 2023/24 campaign was cut short after she sustained an ACL injury with only three matches to go in the regular season.
Helped off the field at the time by teammates, Fenton's injury came after she attempted a regular defensive tackle and has since undergone successful surgery to repair the damage.
Revealing that she is set to be back in either February or March at the earliest, Fenton opened up to All Sprtย about the difficulty of returning from an ACL injury and the importance of her family and friends during the difficult period.
"I'm out running now, changing direction and getting a lot of gym stuff done, but it's looking well," Fenton told All Sprt.
"It's tough. We've obviously had a lot of ACL injuries these past few seasons, and it's pretty unfortunate, but it just makes you stronger at the end, and you're going to have a rollercoaster of emotions.
"Some days I'm like really pumped and really excited to get back, and sometimes I'm just struggling a little bit mentally just to get through the gym work, but it's all part of it, and I know that I'll come back stronger and better on the field."
Playing as a left-back, she has been earmarked as the next Australian women's player to make it overseas.
She has also previously represented the Young Matildas (U20s) in the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup alongside the likes of Sarah Hunter and Charlie Rule - both of whom have made the move to overseas clubs.
Her time at the World Cup saw her play against Costa Rica, Brazil, and Spain and she has donned the Sky Blues jersey on 36 occasions.
"They [my family and friends] have played a huge part (in my rehabilitation), especially this team because I had to do rehab in the off-season so I found it the hardest during the off-season when we weren't around the team," Fenton added.
"But being back into the team and being back in that routine of training it just makes it so much better and easier to do my rehab."
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