Jenkinson Ruled Out For Rest Of Season, Hérita Ilunga Anyone?

Carl Jenkinson has returned to parent club, Arsenal, from his loan spell at West ham United in order to be treated for the cruciate ligament injury he sustained early on in the 2 - 2 draw with Manchester City, the 23 year old will miss the rest of the season, with june being pencilled in as his earliest return date. Jenkinson's second spell at the Boleyn cost the club a lot more than the first season that he was on loan, during that period his performances were lauded all round, but this season he was far off the mark, and was only being used for the Manchester City match due to an injury that James Tomkins had picked up, The fact that Slaven Billic was willing and happy for a centre half to fill the full back's slot is testimony to how far down the pecking order the ex- england U21 player had become. Jenkinson's fall from grace was similar to Hérita Ilunga many years ago, he arrived on loan and played brilliantly, after the loan became a permanent deal he got injured and was never the same again. Injuries are part and parcel of the modern game, and an unfortunate price that is paid for the frantic fare served up to a World audience that loves it! The flip side of all the massive wealth that the Barclays Premier League clubs have now, and indeed the huge increase in revenue they will receive next year, is a catalogue of injuries. Very few clubs have escaped, in fact it is hard to find any club, with the possible exception of league leaders Leicester City, that has not suffered massively. Of course the traditional big hitters have much larger squads and are able to cope better, but as the new TV money kicks in, that gap will grow smaller and smaller, eventually the playing field will become more level, and who knows which club might sink a la Leeds United. Hammers have come through an atrocious series of injuries to key players, but with them all returning within the next fortnight things are looking up - Ed