Carlisle’s assistant manager Gavin Skelton has reminded supporters about the “dark side of the game” when footballers are out of the game through injury.
He was referring to players who have to spend hours in the gym, away from the training ground, working long hours in the battle to regain fitness.
Skelton told the club’s website: “It’s the dark side of football where they are working on their own for hours a day, looking at those four walls.
“When the players moan outside sometimes, they want to realise how lucky they are not to be stuck in the gym on their own, and being out on that pitch, able to train in the fresh air.”
He was particularly referring to Joel Senior, the young full-back who had just started his journey in the EFL last season when injury struck.
“Joel Senior’s been in Manchester working on a new, modern kind of running machine, so there’s different ways of mixing it up. It’s trying to keep them fresh and their spirits are up.
“You see Joel in that gym, the work he puts in, doing different stuff, for that length and period of time, you watch him and he never cuts corners. You keep a little eye sometimes.
“I hope when he gets fit he has no recurrence and he gets rewarded for the work he’s committed to,” said Skelton.
He added: “We have to remember it is hard for the lads who are out. The other lads get round them, but no matter what you say, try to involve them, they don’t feel part of it, it’s impossible, they’re on a totally different training schedule.
“You keep talking to them, the physios and staff here are really supportive and give them as much support and detail, keep setting goals, it’s goal-setting each month.”
