Abu Dhabi: England rugby star David Strettle has revealed he is growing increasingly impatient with his time on the bench and that the metatarsal injury, which is keeping him out of action, is actually causing him a lot of frustration as well.
The Harlequins winger has had to undergo surgery for the third time this year to mend the foot injury that left him out of the England squad for last year's World Cup and Six Nations Championships. But he is optimistic about his chances, and is expecting to be up and running by January.
Speaking to Gulf News on the sidelines of the Etihad Airways Junior Rugby Festival, which will run on the rugby pitch of the Al Ghazal Golf Club in Abu Dhabi until Saturday, Strettle said that, once fit, he will make sure his feet don't end up in casts ever again.
"It's frustrating to say the least," says the 25-year-old, who has been touted as one of England future stars. "I've been out due to injury three times already this year, and then there is the disappointment of having missed last year's World Cup and Six Nations.
"It's pretty difficult to just keep sitting out here when you know you can do so much on the field and use your skills to make a team win. The injury has been very unfortunate for me; it's already kept me out of some top competitions, but I hope to come back stronger and I will see to it that I take care and don't cause the foot injury in the future."
Metatarsal injuries are tricky and infamous for being repetitive in nature, but Strettle is confident all the right measures have been taken to ensure things inside his leg stay in place.
Necessary steps
"I think the doctors realised that a screw was required to keep the broken bone in its place, so they've taken the necessary steps to make sure everything is alright once and for all," said Strettle, who has represented England in the Sevens game in Dubai and is one of three representatives from the club to have attended the event. The other two were club skipper Will Skinner and Dean Richards, Harlequins Director of Rugby.
"The club has been really supportive. They know I need time to recover, so they've been very patient with me. I can feel the foot getting better and I would say I'd be up for action sometime early next year."
