Chris Cadden has taken a major step closer to a Hibs comeback – after the country’s leading Achilles’ specialist gave him the all-clear for a January return to training. And the fullback has thanked the club for providing top-level medical support on the long journey back to fitness.
This morning in Leicester, Cadden had a series of tests with Dr. Seth O’Neill. Speaking as he headed north after his consultation, the 27-year-old, who tore his Achilles tendon in the season’s last game, added that the most recent update had reassured him.
He said, “I just went to see Seth O’Neill, who is the greatest when it comes to Achilles injuries. I just want to make sure everything is looking good and on track.”
“I returned for additional assessments, enabling him to review my metrics and ensure that everything is proceeding as planned. which is accurate. We are simply covering all the bases so that I can return to the field with the assurance that everything is in order.
“We’ve always intended to use the winter break to recommence training, taking the team to Dubai.” We’re hoping to make a return by the end of January, but there’s no pressure to choose a specific day.
“I think I finally see some light at the end of the tunnel. It’s been difficult, of course. However, I’ve been surrounded by kind people every day. The club’s physiotherapist, Gav Dempsey, has been excellent. He has kept an eye on every rep and has never let me perform an exercise without his supervision. The club has also been excellent in providing me with what I’ve needed. It was all I could ask for.
“So, in terms of the club, they’ve taken good care of me. Gav had been in contact with Seth for a few months, so I saw him fairly early on. Furthermore, it’s been wonderful to have someone so knowledgeable take care of me.
Any member of the medical staff you talk to will tell you that they need all the details. I have hundreds of questions. Why is this taking place? Why doesn’t that occur? What is that? Now, what effect does that have?
“I prefer to have access to all of my data. Some guys just work until they get home, but I make sure to ask everyone the right amount of questions. I’m now an authority!”
After replacing Lee Johnson as head coach in September, Cadden disclosed that Nick Montgomery had completely assimilated him into the team. When the time comes, the new coach hopes to make sure that Lewis Miller, a fullback for the Socceroos, has an easy transition back to the first team. He is aware that Miller will miss the Asian Cup, which begins in mid-January.
The former Motherwell man said, “The gaffer has been brilliant since he came in.” “On his second day, he pulled me in for a conversation. Since he had a tonne of other things to worry about, I was grateful for that. It meant a lot to him to take his time.
“He has tried to include me in every team meeting to demonstrate to me how he wants the team to play and what he expects of me in my role. It should go smoothly because he and the other coaches are constantly talking to me about how they see me playing and how I’ll fit back into the team.
Additionally, he hasn’t given me any deadlines or stated that he wants me back by a certain date. It’s great that he has made it clear that I will return when I’m ready.
And he wants to play football in a way that is 100% exciting. I want to play that way. I’m all the more excited to return because the boys adore you when you speak to them. When I return, hopefully, I can leave a mark on the team. For me in particular, the winter break will be a difficult mini-preseason involving a lot of work. But I’m excited about it.
“It’s never good to see boys in the physio room with you, but whenever someone has come in with an injury, we’ve sort of created a wee injured group chat, made ourselves a bit of a team, even organising a bit of an injury guys golf day at the end of our rehab, stuff like that,” Cadden said, expressing gratitude to his teammates for their support in helping him heal. You depend on the guys to get you through the difficult times when you’re working alone on the watt bike at the gym.
“Jake Doyle-Hayes spent some time with me, Jojo Wollacott spent some time with me, and Harry McKirdy obviously had his own work to do, so
“I believe that initially, you are self-pitying and wonder, ‘Why has this happened to me?'” However, you move past it and continue working as hard as you can, confident that your efforts will be rewarded. Like everything in life, you have to give it your all.
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