#injury-comeback

#injury-comeback

The young Barcelona midfielder has enjoyed a strong end to the campaign and could yet receive the biggest reward of his career in the coming days. With the Spanish national team preparing to announce its final squad for the upcoming World Cup, Bernal remains in contention. The teenager is part of the extended shortlist prepared by Spain manager Luis de la Fuente, and despite fierce competition, the midfielder is refusing to lose hope.

Massimiliano Allegri's decision to start Santiago Gimenez reflects a strong belief in the player's abilities, especially after a challenging year filled with uncertainty and injury setbacks.

The 28-year-old broke the track record at the Cortina Sliding Centre four times in the space of four races, and won in a final combined time of 3min 43.33sec, almost a full second ahead of the runner-up, Germany's Axel Jungk. Weston is the first British man ever to win the Olympic skeleton title. And he did it all despite starting the year with a four-inch tear in his right quad that meant he had to miss pre-season training.

A knee injury sidelined Booker for the first eight weeks of the season, but he made his presence known quickly, recording a sack and forced fumble in his season debut against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 9. Booker was held out of the sack column on the stat sheet in his next five games, but finished the season strong. Headlined by a two-sack performance against the Cleveland Browns in December, Booker finished the season on a high note with a stellar five-game run.

"This was one of the hardest years of my life," McCaffrey said. "Everything that happened to me last year ... I kind of had to overcome a lot of odds." In a season in which 49ers stars fell from the sky with alarming frequency, it was McCaffrey who remained in the center of it all. Quarterback Brock Purdy, tight end George Kittle, defensive end Nick Bosa, receiver Brandon Aiyuk, linebacker Fred Warner and left tackle Trent Williams all missed at least one game because of injury.

The first match we're going to focus on today is the opener on Rod Laver Arena between defending champion Madison Keys (9) and former world number 1 Karolina Pliskova. The 30 year old American is a known commodity following her victory at Melbourne Park last year. She has done enough in her opening two rounds without yet hitting her straps, and she's definitely not in the form of 2025. The 33 year old Czech is into the third round of a major for the first time since the 2023 AO following a long battle with injury.

Jadon Sancho was waiting to receive a pass from Youri Tielemens inside Villa's half but, before the forward knew it, degaard had pinched the ball and was haring towards Emiliano Martinez's goal. A jink back on to his left foot fooled Tielemens and allowed degaard to play through the perfect through ball for Martin Zubimendi to score the crucial second.

"For a guy like me, watching these games (injured) sucks," Hughes said. "To get back out there, personally, I'm just grateful I was able to have a chance to get back out there."

Cole Palmer scored on his first Stamford Bridge start in almost four months as Chelsea beat Everton 2-0 to move back into the Premier League's top four. After four winless matches, Enzo Maresca could hardly have asked for a better moment for his most influential player to announce his return from the groin injury that has wrecked his season up to now, and it came in the 21st minute, the England forward sweeping his side into the lead from Malo Gusto's clever pass.

The 18-year-old is back to full fitness this season after a long spell out injured but has been used carefully by Hansi Flick so far in the 2025-26 campaign. His situation has sparked talk of a move but Mundo Deportivo report that Barcelona have "completedly ruled out" the possibility of Bernal going out on loan. Barcelona are instead hoping that Bernal can play more of a role in the second half of the season

It is something I have been dreaming of all summer and when it happens you feel like you are living the dream. So I am quite happy for that reception, which gave me goosebumps when I came on. It was a long wait, but in the end, we got there. I had to watch the team from the stand. Every few days, I would visualise myself on the pitch and imagine helping the team in the best way I can.

Madueke returned from a two-month knee injury during the north London derby before scoring their second in their 3-1 victory against Bayern Munich. It was his first goal for Arsenal in all competitions, his first-ever Champions League goal and his first for any club since May, when he scored for Chelsea against Djurgarden, ending a run of 17 games without a goal.

In Chelsea's recent 2-0 victory over Burnley, the headline was not the scoreline, but the defender's sudden return to action. For weeks, the message from Stamford Bridge had been clear: Badiashile would be sidelined long-term. Enzo Maresca, speaking ahead of their October fixture against Nottingham Forest, had stated that Cole Palmer would be "six more weeks out" and followed it by confirming that "Benoit will be out until December. He suffers from a muscle problem."

"It's been a long few months and quite a frustrating period with a couple of setbacks along the way, so to finally get back on the pitch and play proper minutes feels like a big step forward. I've been back training with the lads for a little while now and that's been brilliant, but there's nothing quite like playing a match. The medical team and staff have been fantastic with me, managing the recovery carefully and getting me to this point."

Deandre Ayton received his second-ever alley-oop from LeBron James. The first, Ayton said in press after the Lakers' 140-126 win over the Utah Jazz, occurred when he was in eighth grade, at James's youth camp in Las Vegas. "He was court-hopping, playing with the campers," the 27-year-old big man remembered. "The one play, him in the drill with me, he threw the alley-oop and I finished it. I couldn't believe he threw it. Here I am again: I can't believe he threw the lob."

Adrien Rabiot returned to full training on Tuesday which is great news for AC Milan, but he could have actually been a derby opponent. As Calciomercato.com report, Rabiot's return is huge for Massimiliano Allegri, even if we need to see whether he will be an immediate starter after over a month of inactivity or rather ready to contribute from the bench.

It's not every day a player hits 1,400 games in the NHL, and it's even rarer that a 40-year-old veteran still finds ways to impact a game night after night. During his remarkable career, Corey Perry has played for a variety of teams at every level, from junior hockey with the Peterborough Bees and London Knights to the American Hockey League (AHL) Cincinnati Mighty Ducks and Portland Pirates.

The 28-year-old enjoyed a stellar campaign in 2024-25, registering 46 goal involvements (33 goals, 13 assists) in all competitions for Luis Enrique's side. His impressive form in front of goal saw him lift the Ballon d'Or last month, becoming only the second PSG player to do so, after eight-time winner Lionel Messi back in 2021. Dembele started the 2025-26 campaign strongly with two goals and one assist in three Ligue 1 appearances before getting injured while on international duty with France.

"I think it's just a mindset of knowing I'm going to be in more battles down low in my own end," Barzal said. "You've got to get lower in your zone instead of being a winger up high. But honestly, not much changes. Whether I'm on the wing or down the middle, I usually find myself in the middle of the ice. So it shouldn't be too much of an adjustment."

Tyrell Malacia will return to first-team training with Manchester United. The 26-year-old had been part of the so-called "bomb squad" of players United had deemed surplus to requirements in the summer, along with Marcus Rashford, Alejandro Garnacho, Jadon Sancho and Antony. While the other four left the club, Malacia remained at United after a loan move to Spanish side Elche fell through. He has been training with the under-21s but the PA news agency understands he has now been reintegrated with the senior squad.

After more than ten weeks out following the third knee injury of her career, the 26-year-old Germany captain made her return to the pitch. It was a moment that meant far more than simply returning to playing duties. For Gwinn, it once again marked a return from isolation, from rehab, from the enforced role of observer. And once again proof of the sheer willpower she possesses.