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McKenna: Pretty Definite Philogene Won't Play Again This Season Friday, 18th Apr 2025 14:38
Town boss Kieran McKenna says forward Jaden Philogene isn’t expected to need surgery but is still set to miss the rest of the season, while Omari Hutchinson and Kalvin Phillips will both miss Sunday’s home game against Arsenal, but Liam Delap has trained this week.
Philogene suffered a knee injury moments after coming off the bench during last Sunday’s 2-2 draw at Chelsea and the issue has proved to be as McKenna anticipated after the match.
“He’s seeing a specialist this week,” the Blues boss said. “As we thought, it’s an MCL injury, it doesn’t look like he needs surgery but it’s pretty much definite that he won’t play for us again this season.
“Big disappointment really for us and for him. It’s a challenge for the group in terms that it’s another one in that position and that’s three right wingers, one an MCL, one an ACL [Wes Burns] and one an achilles [Chieo Ogbene].
“But also for Jaden because he arrived later than we all would have wished and it’s really hard, as we spoke about before, to get up momentum and get up to speed.
“But he was working really hard and trying his best at the training ground, so it’s disappointing he won’t get a chance to try and build some of that momentum before the end of the season.
“But no doubt he’ll come back strong, he’s really professional and he’ll do his rehab well and he’ll come back strongly next year.”
Asked if the 23-year-old is likely to be ready for pre-season, McKenna added: “We can’t speak too much on that, the timescales aren’t definite and there’s an international tournament [the European U21 Championship] in the summer as well that he would have liked to have been a part of.
“I don’t think anything’s 100 per cent yet, we can only say it’s very unlikely he’ll play for us but hopefully he’ll be ready in pre-season.”
Hutchinson, a former Arsenal academy youngster, remains out with a hamstring injury sustained in his first training session after returning from international duty with the England U21s at the end of last month.
Phillips suffered an injury in the achilles area in training last week ahead of the visit to Chelsea. McKenna says both remain unavailable.
“Omari, not ready yet, still not fully training with the group, so we have to be careful with that one. Kalvin, not ready and not training with the group,” he said.
Better news is that 12-goal top scorer Delap, who was on the bench at Chelsea due to a rib problem, has been training this week.
“He’s trained, I can’t say he’s absolutely clear yet, but he’s safe to train, so we’ve got some judgements to make going into the weekend.”
Conor Chaplin has been back on the bench for the last few games having suffered a knee problem at the turn of the year and McKenna says the 28-year-old is doing well having come on as an 81st-minute sub in the defeat to Wolves.
“He’s ready, he’s training well,” the Blues manager continued. “With the MCL injuries, they can always linger on a little bit, but he’s training well and he’s an important part of the group.
“Of course, it’s really hard to get up to full speed when you’ve missed that time and you’re in the last throes of a Premier League season, but if anyone’s going to give their full commitment to doing so, it’s Conor. He’s training great and he’s ready to go.”
Photo: Reuters
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And I didn’t realise the centre forward was responsible for goals conceded. I’m not surprised you don’t notice his all around game as your knowledge of the game is so poor.
@virginblue Your boring Vs Brentford Goal 1 Davis not marking Goal 2 Davis not even in opposition half Goal 3 H Clarke Pen conceeded Goal 4 How is that Muric fault lol, he had 3 defenders in front of him not marking but moreso how was player able to take that shot...because Davis in no man's land
Re Hirst, he is okay and hold up play but for the Premier League he is not good enough so no point keeping him for next season.
Just about everyone I know blames Muric for that. Your vendetta against some players but defence of Muric is embarrassing. Not sure if you’ve noticed but nobody agrees with your opinion. There’s a reason for that. Only a compete cretin would be so disrespectful to what so many players have given to the change at my football club. And if George Hirst is as bad as you suggest, how are we getting a fee for him? Maybe we should agree that you are entitled to your opinion, but that opinion makes you a Grade A idiot.
So funny @virginblue absolutely deluded all this 'came up a year early' nonsense, what was another year in Championship going to do, nothing! We have no divine right to be in Premier league, what makes us better than Wrexham, Birmingham, West Brom, Sunderland, Middlesborough, whoever doesn't go up from top 3 if one loses play offs, Southampton, Leicester that's 8 teams who will all be fighting for promotion.
I dont slate our players who got us promoted twice, they are heroes for that but I do say they aren't Prem players, if they were clubs in Prem would of been trying to sign them, we are relegated so for their careers and the club evolving it's time for a rebuild.
I get all this supporters saying I'm not a fan if I think Muric is good, he is good, and the fact is we have most of our points when he played, look at shorelines from him in goal to Walton and Palmer its fact!
It's actually really bad of fans to not want our club to evolve for fear of l9sing favourite players or a manager, I'd like to see my club as an established Prem team and with George Hirsts, Leif Davis, Burns etc that's not going to happen ever. We are going down, we didn't even beat thec2 clubs going down with us, game at Leicester will be a real eye opener. If you had a fun season seeing Salah and Haaland there is a show called Match Of The Day they on every week. Ashton and the owners and Ed are doing a great job but to continue to the Premiership and stay there can not be done with a squad full of lower league standard players. It's football players come and go as do managers. You staying if Mckenna was sacked or Wes Burns and Chaplin sold you be staging a protest It's ridiculous. Nothing wrong with worshiping the players who done well in lower league's but that's part of club history.
How long you going to give Mckenna and these players a free pass and untouchable of criticism whilst berating all our new signings.
It's only 10/20/30 of the home and away fans on here disagree because you thinkbyour mates with these players. Do you thinkbif Wrexham got to Prem that Jack Marriot and Sam Smith, Mullins be playing, of course they won't they good at their level but that's what it is their level.
Only 43 players have gone from lower league to Prem and 10 play for Town. It's a good achievement but look at the names!
Out of your league 1 heroes, who gets into any Prem squad?
Instead of just saying moron, bad spelling, trolling etc write something that isn't just, we on a journey, year to early, it's Muric fault, bad signings.
Roll on West Ham game when we can thank the players of yesteryear and move on, and talk about football rather than sentimental nonsense, I will pass the tissues round. Mourinho is multiple winner, still gets sacked, all managers do. We had a very lucky, unpredicted season last year, the money has enabled us to buy the cream of Championship players and most likely take the pickings of some more but look at Plymouth, rock bottom and they won league 1 and we couldn't beat them that season with this same group players. New kit, new names on back of the next crop of heroes.
lol. So we got lucky last year. That confirms it, you’re clearly not a fan. And I’ve never said we got promoted too soon, so aim that elsewhere. But if you can’t see that not having a season or two to build in The Championship made staying up harder then you’re more of an idiot than I suspect. Post all the long winded nonsense you like, it’s doesn’t make any of it fact. You’ve never answered my point about Leicester and Southampton. Both of those clubs fired their manager and have been woeful since. Leicester were 15th when their idiot fan contingent (who I’m sure you admire greatly) drove Steve Cooper out, and look at them now.
So called fans like you are why I left this message board 20 years ago, thankfully you’re currently a in the mad minority.
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