FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – As he entered the final weeks of his offseason stay in Gambia, New England Revolution midfielder Kenny Mansally accelerated his usual routine to prepare for training camp.
The goal was to return to New England with a high level of fitness in order to tackle his preseason duties. Instead, he sustained a right quadriceps injury that has forced him to the sidelines.
“The last week before I came back, I was practicing,” Mansally told MLSsoccer.com. “Normally during the offseason, if I go home, I get ready for two or three weeks before coming back to get ready for the preseason. It's always hard, but I work hard so it's easier for me. I was doing the same thing and then I got myself hurt.”
Mansally informed the Revolution medical staff about the injury he sustained once he arrived. For the past week-and-a-half, Mansally has done recovery work while his teammates have gone through a mixture of conditioning and technical drills.
New England coach Steve Nicol remains optimistic that the Gambian international winger will be fit enough to join his teammates sooner rather than later.
“I don't think it's anything too serious,” Nicol said. “He did it before the week he came in, and obviously, he wants to be fit and ready and he was doing some training on his own. At this stage, it's nothing serious.”
Mansally's lengthy and light jog around the Dana-Farber Field House on Tuesday morning buttressed Nicol's assertions and provided promising signs for recovery. Although Mansally said he believes it will be a couple of weeks before he is able to take part in his first full training session, he wants to return as quickly as possible in order to press his claims for a berth in the starting eleven.
“I was doing this as I was trying to get into the starting lineup, but now I'm injured,” Mansally said. “I'm still going to keep my head up, work hard and try to do the same thing, so that if I get well, I'm going to work hard to get in the starting lineup like I always do."
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