Being involved in a relegation battle can be mentally taxing on a player, but that scenario is perhaps even worse then the footballer in question is not able to contribute on the pitch. That is a situation that John Egan found himself in this season.
Named as club captain ahead of Sheffield United's return to the Premier League, he was hoping to have a big campaign as the club attempted to establish themselves in the English top flight. Unfortunately, things did not go to plan from either a personal or team perspective.
Not only would The Blades be comfortably relegated after finishing bottom of the league with just 16 points, but the Ireland defender would also miss all but six games of the campaign after picking up a serious achilles injury back in October.
He would require surgery as a result, ruling him out for the reason of the season. That meant he sat on the sidelines as he watched the club suffer defeat after defeat, something that is sure to have taken its toll.
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John Egan ready to bounce back after season from hell
Speaking to the media in his role as Pringles Brand Ambassador, he admitted his lengthy spell in the treatment room gave him a new perspective on the game.
It was very hard. The worst thing about professional sport is getting an injury, especially a long-term one. It was hard to accept at the start, but once you have the road to rehab and the road to recovery laid out in front of you, you just have to trust the process, give your body time to heal and do all the work that’s asked of you...
I think that’s a lot of what people don’t see. When you’re out for a long time, mentally you have to be strong. I could draw on experience from when I was 20 and I broke my leg, so I’ve been down this road before...
It kind of helped me in my recovery. Mentally there is a lot of things you have to do, but the biggest one is to be patient and trust in the process and give your body enough time to tick every box along the way...
I’ve been injured for a good few months now and been in the physio room, so I’ve seen a load of different injuries and lads coming in and out. The last eight or nine years before that, I probably wouldn’t have paid attention to the mental battles people are going through with injury.
John Egan will see his Sheffield United contract expire at the end of the month, although he is currently in discussions with the club about a new deal. He said there is no update to offer on that front, although he is already looking forward to pre-season.
As mentioned above, outside of that serious injury at 20-years old, Egan has had a relatively clean bill of health over the last decade or so. He bounced back brilliantly from that first lengthy spell on the sidelines, although the recovery process can be more difficult as you reach the latter stages of your career.
One player he could learn from is international teammate Seamus Coleman.
The Donegal man has overcome a couple of very serious injuries in recent times, bouncing back to perform brilliantly at both club and international level. Egan admits that Coleman is an example that he will look to follow.
Seamus’ mentality is unbelievable.
He’s been an unbelievable player and captain for Ireland, he’s one of the men you really look up to when you’re in the Ireland camp.
The way he came back from serious injuries is inspiring. That’s probably the only positive about injuries, when you come back from them, people in the future who get injuries can draw on you for experience about getting back fit.
Seamus has done unbelievable, he’s unbelievable character and unbelievable player, so he’s someone we all look up to.
Whereas Coleman is an Irish right back coming towards the end of his career, Sam Curtis is one that is now only starting his journey in professional football.
He moved from St Pat's to Sheffield United back in January, with the 18-year old going on to make his Premier League debut a few months later.
John Egan has been massively impressed with the youngster during their time together at Bramall Lane.
I got to know Sam quite quickly with the Irish connection, I was his taxi driver for a while at the start! I’ve got to know him really well.
He came in and you can tell he has got a lot of first team games under his belt. He has fitted into the dressing room really well, trains really hard, and has got big belief in himself. He’s been brilliant. When I’ve been on the grass working on my own, I’ve seen that he is doing extras all the time.
His attitude is really good for the game and he wants to improve, I can’t speak highly enough of him.
7 June 2024; Sam Curtis during the U21 international friendly match between Croatia and Republic of Ireland at Gradski Stadion in Zagreb, Croatia. Photo by Vid Ponikvar/Sportsfile
John Egan and Sam Curtis are also likely to become international teammates in the near future, although it remains uncertain as to who will be the manager when that time does arrive.
John O'Shea has acted as the interim boss for the last two international windows, with the FAI seemingly no closer to making a permanent appointment almost nine months on from Stephen Kenny's departure.
Egan has not been involved in the camps under O'Shea due to his injury, but he has received some positive feedback from the players who did take part.
I think John has done really well coming in in that situation. The feedback I’m getting is that it has been really good. We have a lot of young players and when John O’Shea walks into a room he commands instant respect with the career he has had. He also says that despite the uncertainty surrounding the next manager, it should not affect the players.
I have worked with John before as a coach before he took over the manager’s job, he’s got a wealth of experience and you can tell that the lads really enjoying playing under him...
Obviously the players will put on the jersey no matter what and give 100 per cent, so there’s no point in thinking too much about things you can’t control...
Nothing really surprises you in football, there is change all the time. As a player with experience, you just learn to focus on what you can control. That’s all you can do really.
Time will tell what comes of that process.
For John Egan, he is just looking forward to getting back on the pitch at both club and international level.
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