Charly Musonda was seen as the future of Chelsea. His signing – at the age of 15 – was seen as a huge coup; there had been interested from Barcelona, Manchester City, and Real Madrid, and one of his coaches at Anderlecht said he could be one of the top five players in the world.
In January 2018, Musonda joined Celtic on an 18-month loan, but it was cut short that summer, and Chelsea loaned him to Vitesse Arnhem.
He had been at the club just a week when the incident happened that would shape the next three years of his life.
Musonda was playing in a friendly against Antwerp when a 50-50 challenge resulted in him tearing his posterior cruciate ligament.
“I knew something was wrong straight away because I got up and I couldn’t walk,” he says.
It is now four years since Musonda was able to play back-to-back games, and he has made just four substitute appearances since that ill-fated tackle.
“I feel like a fighter now preparing for a boxing match. It would be an incredible comeback – an incredible story. Every day is part of the journey, every day a step closer to coming back. I’m on the right track.
“I do believe that if I put a run together and I come back, I can play for a good 10 years. I’m still 24 – if I come back in the prime of my career, I can put a run together – that’s my goal.”