Liverpool striker Paul Glatzel is set for another lengthy spell on the sidelines after suffering a recurrence of a hamstring injury just 14 minutes into his return.
The 21-year-old picked up a hamstring issue while on-loan at Tranmere Rovers in March, forcing his spell with the Wirral outfit to be cut short as he endured a long rehabilitation spell back at the AXA Training Centre. But a deadline day return to Rovers presented a clean state and fresh opportunity to impress at senior level.
Tranmere boss Micky Mellon sanctioned the deal while Glatzel was still sidelined - a mark of how highly rated he remains - and the forward has spent the two weeks since getting himself up to speed, after a total period of six months out. But just 14 minutes into his return, after coming on as a 71st-minute substitute in the League Two clash against Bradford City at Prenton Park, Glatzel was forced off with an injury Mellon described as a ‘soul-destroyer’.
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“I think he’s done his hamstring, which is heartbreaking for him,” Mellon told Rovers' official website after the game. “He’s heartbroken in there himself, because he’s worked so hard to get back again. That’s a soul destroyer, isn’t it?
“We’ll obviously see where it is over the next 24 hours for him, and that’s something else we’ll deal with.”
And speaking today, ahead of Tranmere's trip to Salford City on Saturday, Mellon said: “He’s done it just about as bad as he could have.”
It means the desperately fortunately Glatzel will require an operation and leaves him facing another road to recovery.
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