Hinshelwood's injury horror
24 Jan 2007 - 08:38:25
Brighton and Hove Albion have been dealt a crushing blow as they attempt to avoid relegation to League Two after Adam Hinshelwood was told he requires knee surgery that will keep him sidelined for at least nine months.
Hinshelwood was told the bad news by a specialist in London who confirmed that the 22-year-old defender will need a reconstructive procedure on the cruciate ligament in his right knee.
The player spent almost a year out of action after suffering a serious injury to the same knee in March 2005.
Albion physio Malcolm Stuart confirmed to the club's official website: "It's going to mean probably a minimum of nine months out.
"Although it's the same operation that Paul Reid had, the specialist thinks that it will take slightly longer because of the nature of it, with it being the second reconstruction.
"We realised three weeks ago that this was probably going to be the prognosis and so Adam has got himself into a strong mental state.
"We're hopeful that the whole thing can be rectified and he'll come back stronger than ever. He's still only 22 and so time is vastly in his favour."