Blackburn Rovers have suffered a huge blow after it was confirmed that defender Scott Wharton has been ruled out of action until 2025.
The 26-year-old struggled for game time in the early stages of this season, making just two appearances from Rovers’ first 12 fixtures. However, a series of injuries to key players saw him earn a place back in the team.
John Eustace’s appointment in February also breathed new life into his Ewood Park career. The former Lincoln City loanee has been an ever-present under the stewardship of the ex-Birmingham City boss, starting the last 13 league fixtures.
Disaster struck on Wharton’s last outing when he was forced off in the 75th minute in the 3-1 defeat against Sheffield Wednesday. It was a result which kept the 1995 Premier League champions firmly in a race for Championship survival. They now sit in 19th, just three points above Birmingham in the final relegation spot with two games remaining.
They will be without the services of the centre-back for the run-in though, with Eustace confirming that the player will be ruled out for a prolonged period of time with a knee injury. Speaking to official club media, the 44-year-old said:
“Scott’s unfortunately going to be out for a number of months.
“Scott’s been magnificent since I’ve come in and I don’t think he’s put a foot wrong in the 15 or 16 games, he’s really stepped up to the plate and been a real leader.
“He’s going to be a miss now in the next couple of games, but he has that fighting spirit to get back from this injury and we’re all looking forward to seeing him back on the pitch.
“I think he’s going to be out for the majority of next season as well. He’s having his surgery next week. It’s a bad injury.
“He’s fully committed to this football club and has come off through injury in the last three games.
“The tackle that he got injured with came from him trying to stop a goal and Scott’s a warrior for us and he’ll be back from this disappointment.
“He’s got the attitude to come back even better. He’s done it before having been out for eight or nine months, so he has that in his locker.
“He’s a vital part of Blackburn Rovers going forward and I hope he’ll be back sooner rather than later.”
Blackburn could seal their place in next season’s Championship this weekend when they take on FA Cup semi-finalists Coventry City before finishing their campaign at Leicester City.
Writer’s View
This is a huge blow for Wharton, who has performed excellently to break back into the Rovers team this season. He has become a pivotal member of John Eustace’s squad and the manager will be hoping that his injury doesn’t prove to be season-defining over the course of the next two fixtures.
It’s going to be a long road to recovery for the centre-back, but he will be confident that he can return to action at the turn of the year. However, whether that is in the Championship or League One remains to be seen.
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