Chelsea’s forgotten midfielder Marco van Ginkel has opened up on his shocking run of knee injuries and has insisted that he can still make Frank Lampard’s first team despite Chelsea’s wealth of options in the middle of the park.
The 27-year-old midfielder moved to Stamford Bridge from Vitesse back in 2013, signing a five-year contract with the Blues after emerging as one of the most promising young players in the Netherlands.
But the midfielder has suffered various injuries since breaking out at Vitesse and has failed to establish himself in Chelsea’s first team.
Van Ginkel was sent out on loan to AC Milan and Stoke before captaining PSV to the Eredivisie title back in May 2018 beating Ajax by four points. That summer he underwent surgery to rebuild a knee ligament, but a series of complications has meant he has not played since.
After his first surgery, Van Ginkel contracted a ‘very serious and aggressive’ infection and his knee swelled back up.
It was later found that his new cruciate was damaged and his knee had to be cleaned out. The 27-year-old went through three surgeries in six days.
‘I became depressed at that point when I learned that everything had to be taken out once more,’ Van Ginkel told NOS.
‘Infections like that can end a player’s entire career. In the end, I recovered well from the clean-out, but then I had to wait five months before I could do anything football-wise.
‘The months dragged on. I have come through a somber spell. I am a positive person, and the people at Chelsea have always supported me. I won’t give up easily, because I’m not a quitter.’
The former Vitesse starlet has only four senior appearances for Chelsea to his name to date, with his existing contract at the Bridge set to expire at the end of the season but hopes the manager will give him an opportunity in the future.
He said: “You’ll have to ask Frank Lampard if he sees me as an option for the future.
“But Chelsea have an option to extend my contract by two more seasons. Let’s wait and see.
“My initial focus is on getting fit once more, and then we will look further ahead.”
Chelsea will be back in Premier League action when they make the short trip across London to face Tottenham on Sunday.
