Everton FC star Leon Osman forced to rest ankle injury

Jul 28 2009 by Dominic King, Liverpool Daily Post

MISCHIEF is never far away when Leon Osman has time on his hands but there has been a break from the norm during this current trip to America.

In normal circumstances, there would be plenty of stories to tell at the end of 10 days away about the pranks of Goodison Park’s joker supreme yet he has been noticeably subdued through as the squad have made their way from Seattle to Salt Lake City.

Mind you, there are valid reasons; unable to train for much of the past week owing to an ankle problem that “just doesn’t feel right”, Osman has endured the ultimate nightmare of anyone going abroad – being stuck in a hotel room.

With rest being deemed the sensible option to accelerate the healing process, Osman had to spend some mornings in his room in Seattle – just like poor Seamus Coleman, who has suffered terribly with an infected blister – while the rest of the squad went off to train.

Not surprisingly, when the opportunity to get out and see something other than four walls cropped up, he grabbed it with both hands but perhaps there is another reason for his current reserved state-of-mind.

By his own admission, Osman is still haunted by the events of May 31, when his dreams of FA Cup success – and those of his team-mates – were crushed as Chelsea took full advantage of the fact that a number of David Moyes’ players had an off-day.

“I suppose it’s still niggling at me now,” said Osman. “I’ve been trying to put it behind me and I think I have done. I still can’t bring myself to watch the game or read anything about it. I suppose that disappointment will stay with me for the rest of my life.”

It is a disappointment, though, that he believes can be harnessed and put to good use; a holiday with his wife and two children immediately after Wembley instantly helped revive his spirits and he reported back to Finch Farm earlier this month eager to crack on.

So frustrating, then, that this niggling ankle complaint – which has limited the midfielder’s time on the pitch so far in pre-season to 45 second half minutes at Bury – has stopped him in his tracks, just when he wanted to really go through the gears.

“It was a short break but nice to get away,” said a man who has made 203 appearances for the Toffees. “I think if we are all honest, we all wanted this to be a short break after getting to the Cup final. But that’s over now and we all start afresh.

“I had a few bits and bobs to do on the Monday and Tuesday after the final, then we were away on Wednesday. I tried to switch off, keep out the way of things but now it’s time to get back to work and start again.

“But you can’t dwell on it and let it affect you in the present. We have got a new season coming up and we have got to be as sharp for this campaign as we were for the majority of last season.