Injury-prone?
Alberto Aquilani’s transfer to Liverpool from Roma was completed with the minimum of fuss, which is highly unusual for a transfer involving Liverpool considering the unsuccessful Gareth Barry saga of last summer, and this year’s Xabi Alonso blockbuster. The Italian has signed a five year deal, and the thing that will worry the Anfield faithful is that in his last five seasons at Roma, he has started a miserly 60 Serie A games. His ability is not in question, but his injury record leaves a lot to be desired. The midfielder will not appear until mid-September at the very earliest. But Liverpool have a very frustrating habit of employing players that seem to succumb to injury on a regular basis. Here are some examples from the years gone by:
John Barnes: From his debut in 1987 until 1991, Barnes exhilarating displays on the left wing made him an idol on the Kop and Football Writers Association Player of the Year twice. However, various injuries over time robbed him of his explosive pace, and he was forced to adjust his game according. He transformed himself into a holding midfielder, where his distribution and calmness shone in a team full of youthful exuberance. However, we all pined for the Digger of old, when his pace, power and dribbling brought magic moments such as this:
Jamie Redknapp: One of the ‘Spice Boys’, Redknapp played the game in a manner than contradicted this rather unfair nickname that haunted Liverpool in the mid 90s . He was an all-action midfielder, who had an uncanny knack of been injured. Never afraid to put a foot in, and with a splendid passing range in his armoury, one feels he never at the peak of his powers, considering the ability he had. An ankle injury playing for England in Euro ’96 was very unfortunate, when he landed awkwardly going up for a header. A chronic knee injury suffered during the 1999/2000 season hampered the midfielder for the remainder of his career. Now an infuriating pundit on Sky Sports.
Patrick Berger: An explosive start to his career on Merseyside was to prove to be a false dawn. Four goals in his first three games, including a superb double against Chelsea, had fans drooling at the prospect of the Czech international been a major hit at Anfield. However, he only managed 196 games in seven years, but his hammer of a left foot did produce some memorable strikes. A horrific knee injury suffered at Elland Road in 2000 was really the beginning of the end of his Liverpool career.
Vegard Heggem: The likeable Norwegian was a huge favourite at Anfield, but was unfortunately riddled with hamstring injuries. In his pomp, he was a highly adventurous right-back, who seemed much more comfortable going forward than defending. A stunning goal away to Middlesbrough on Stephen’s Day 1998 will live long in the memory. After his release in 2003 (he hadn’t played since October 2000) Heggem retired, and is now a salmon fisher in his native Norway.
Robbie Fowler: The North Queensland Fury striker is a legend on the red half of Merseyside, but one wonders what he could have achieved had he stayed fit. Knee ligament 
injuries and various other knocks took their toll on the Toxeth Terror, but the fact remains, from 1994-1997 he was one of the most lethal strikers in Europe scoring over 100 goals. We had seen the best of Fowler by the time he was 23, but his 183 goals in 369 games in the for Liverpool over two spells means he will go down in Anfield folklore.
Michael Owen: There have been two ‘JFK’ moments in the Chester-man’s career that really stand out: His stunning slalom goal against Argentina in St. Etienne, and the night in April 1999 he snapped his hamstring against Leeds. The explosive pace was gone, but the instincts remained and Owen has continually altered his game since. He missed an average of eight league games a season while on Liverpool’s books. At Newcastle, that rose to an incredible 20 games.
Chris Kirkland: Bought from Coventry for £6 million the same day as Jersey Dudek in 2001, the goalkeeper only managed 44 appearances for the club. He showed much promise, excelling in one particular Champions League tie away to Galatasary, but a wrist injury, along with some very indifferent form, led to him leaving the club permanently in 2007 to join Wigan.
Daniel Agger: A breath of fresh air after arriving in the winter of 2006. The centre-back looked so composed on the ball; comparisons to Alan Hansen were flying in from all angles. However, a metatarsal injury suffered at Sunderland two years ago has seen him only appear in 17 Premier League games since. A back injury is currently keeping him on the sidelines, and one wonders how much more patience Rafa Benitez will have with the Dane, who has struggled to put a run of games together in recent seasons.
Fabio Auerlio: The Brazilian full-back has been the pick of Benitez’s Bosman signings over the years, but he cannot seem to stay fit. Just as he was starting to establish himself in the side, a rupture of his Achilles tendon against PSV ended his 2006/07 season. The following season, a tear of his abductor muscle again meant his season came to a premature end. Again suffered in a Champions League tie. And now, he has missed the start of this season with a knee injury. Champions League game again? Er, no playing football with his children.
Philip Degen: Last year’s Bosman signing, the Swiss international has yet to play a Premier League game for the club. He only managed 10 games in his last season at Borussia Dortmund, so the signs were ominious.Written off by many after just two League Cup ties, it’s difficult to see him making the grade at Anfield after Glen Johnson’s explosive start. Rib and metatarsal injuries meant Degen was sidelined for much of last season. It’s refreshing to see he has put his time off to good use anyway: http://www.degendegen.com
