Manchester United youngster Ruben Curley has completed his comeback from an ACL tear.
17-year-old midfielder Ruben Curley made his return from a torn ACL at the weekend as Manchester United under-18s recorded another win.
Curley was a late substitute as the under-18s beat their Stoke City counterparts 4-1.
It is a welcome boost for the player and a success for United’s medical department to get Curley back on the pitch after a year on the sidelines.
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Ruben Curley suffered torn ACL
Ruben Curley suffered a torn ACL in August 2022, during pre-season. It was a cruel blow for the midfielder, who was hoping to be a regular for the under-18s in 2022/23.
Curley had made his under-18s debut in the second half of the 2021/22 season, playing four matches. He then featured at the Super Cup NI in 2022, before his progress was halted by injury.
Upon making his comeback, Curley shared the moment on Instagram, noting it had been a total of 374 days to get back to playing again.
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Kobbie Mainoo and Shola Shoretire were among the players to reach out to Curley to congratulate him on his comeback.
United will continue to tread carefully and won’t rush his recovery, but simply getting him onto the pitch is a huge step.
Manchester United under-18s win 4-1
Manchester United’s under-18s defeated Stoke City 4-1, on the same day the under-21s beat their counterparts 10-1.
The under-18s goals were scored by midfielders Jack Moorhouse and James Scanlon, before striker Gabriel Biancheri scored a penalty, and an own goal completed the scoring.
It was the under-18s second game of the season, following a 4-0 win over Middlesbrough a fortnight ago.
There was also a return for defender Jack Kingdon, making his first appearance after five months out injured.
Second ACL returnee awaits
Ruben Curley’s injury comeback is great news and it also offers hope for young teammate Ethan Ennis.
Ennis suffered a torn ACL days after Curley, and he is also working hard towards his recovery.
Ennis, 18, signed from Liverpool in 2021 and scored 19 goals for the under-18s in his debut season before suffering the injury last August.
While all players are different and recover at differing speeds, Ennis shared a picture in April wearing football boots, signifying he is making positive progress, and it hopefully won’t be long until they are both sharing the pitch together again.