Cambridge United manager Colin Calderwood has been explaining the situation with striker Jabo Ibhere, who is set for an extended spell on the sidelines with a knee injury.
Calderwood, whose side are currently 11th in the League Two table, told the club’s Twitter feed that the 36-year-old is in a ‘bad way’ and won’t be seen for a considerable amount of time.
“Jabo is in quite a bad way actually, and had to have an operation,” said U’s head coach Colin Calderwood.
“He sustained a cut to his knee and the cut in his knee has now had an infection and they had to remove a particle out of his knee. It’s a major operation in all honesty, and it will be a considerable time before we see him.”
It’s not the only injury worrying Calderwood at the moment, Gary Deegan has been out with blood poisoning whilst Samir Carruthers and Liam O’Neill are also struggling for game time.
“It’s quite strange. Any of the hamstrings, like Samir’s [Carrthuers’ injury], or Liam O’Neil’s situation with his back/pelvis, I think they are pretty normal, but Gary’s and Jabo’s (injuries) are quite unusual.
“Both are extremely serious and really well dealt with by the medical staff. Unfortunately, it doesn’t matter how good that is, it will be a considerable time before we see Jabo again. There is a lot of healing to happen to begin with.”
Ibhere joined the U’s from Carlisle, where he scored 27 league goals in 84 outings. His time with Cambridge has not been quite as prolific, he’s got 11 from 67 and is out of contract at the end of the season.
Our View
Dare I say it Cambridge fans, but I doubt very much you’ll see Ibhere in a U’s shirt again.
Even if he does recover, by the time he is match fit he won’t be able to impress the manager. He’s 36 now and can’t play on forever. He’s had a good, long career with the likes of Barnsley, Oldham, MK Dons and Walsall, but it’s surely drawing to an end.
It’s a shame, a player of his attributes can still have a role to play for a League Two club, but I feel Cambridge are moving forward and he’s not in a position to be a part of that.
You are quite correct. Many, many fans couldn’t understand why an extra year extension was included in his contact. I’m not sure that he will be missed.