It’s one of the hard-luck stories of the Hyundai A-League 2017/18 Season.
During a Melbourne Victory training session in November, speedster Mitch Austin ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament, ruling him out for the remainder of the campaign.
The injury hit the 26-year-old like a ton of bricks, as he came to the realisation he had a long road to get back to playing the game he loves so much.
“I’m not ashamed to say I literally cried straight away,” Austin tells www.a-league.com.au when reflecting on learning of his diagnosis.
“As soon as you say ‘ACL’, you know it’s a 12-month kind of injury.
“Just going that long without playing, I’m coming off contract as well, you wonder what’s going to happen with your future as well.”
We caught up with Austin as part of our “Extra Time” series, discussing his injury and rehabilitation in detail, as well as the emotional roller-coaster ride professional athletes go through.
In the revealing chat, Austin opens up about the moment he suffered the injury, how he’s been after the surgery and looking at the positives of a tough situation.
WATCH THE INTERVIEW WITH AUSTIN IN THE PLAYER ABOVE
