The West Bromwich Albion and Northern Ireland midfielder, Chris Brunt, is to miss out on the European Championships campaign in France, having been ruled out for six-months with a serious knee injury.
Brunt, aged 31, was stretchered off during Albion’s 3-2 win over Crystal Palace in the Premier League last Saturday, after landing awkwardly under a challenge in the first-half.
Scans from his surgery in Lyon on Thursday revealed that Brunt ruptured an anterior cruciate ligament in his right-knee, an unfortunate occurrence which will see him miss the rest of the top-flight season at the Hawthorns, as well as this summer’s Euros, where he was due to be a key member of the Northern Irish playing squad.
His club manager at West Brom, Tony Pulis, said: It’s a big blow for Chris and everyone is feeling for him right now. It will be disappointing for us not to have him for the rest of the season because he is a terrific player who gives the team great balance.
“But obviously it is made even more cruel because it has denied him a career highlight with Northern Ireland this summer.
In February, Brunt, who has made 30 appearances for West Brom this term, was struck by a coin thrown by one of his own supporters, following a 3-1 defeat to Reading in the FA Cup – Police subsequently arrested an individual, and are treating the incident as an assault.
