Abdul Fatawu will be in the Leicester City dressing room on Sunday evening and watch as his team-mates go through their warm-ups before facing Manchester United.
If the popular £14million winger was able to run onto the pitch rather than suffering a season-ending ACL injury in November, chances are the Foxes wouldn’t be in their current relegation predicament, having lost their last six home games without scoring.
Leicester were outside the bottom three when Fatawu was stricken playing for Ghana against Angola. His emotional manager Steve Cooper called him in Africa to find out what had happened. Cooper lost his job after the next game, a 2-1 defeat to Chelsea, and City have slid further into trouble ever since.
Though current manager Ruud van Nistelrooy has failed improve results, his role in helping Fatawu – Leicester’s biggest asset – may turn out to be invaluable longer-term.
In 2000, van Nistelrooy’s proposed transfer to Manchester United was delayed after he suffered his own dreadful ACL that kept him out of the game for a year. Yet he came back to become one of United’s greatest strikers and later star for Real Madrid.
Despite the Dutchman being under huge pressure to keep Leicester up, 21-year-old Fatawu says the manager found time plenty to offer advice and encouragement – which he would like to repay.
Leicester City’s Abdul Fatawu has described Ruud van Nistelrooy as ‘like a father’ to him
Van Nistelrooy has given Fatawu advice and encouragement after his crippling ACL injury
The Foxes may have avoided a relegation fight if Fatawu was fully fit instead of on the sidelines
‘Ruud has been like a father to me,’ reveals the young African. ‘I knew his history as a player but he’s also been a good friend, always helpful and there for me.
‘He talks to me about what happened in his career. He went through the same thing.
‘He tells me his injury was the time that made him who he is today. He became even stronger and says it can happen to me too. I just need to focus.
‘I’d be so happy to get the chance to play for him. He has shown so much interest in helping me as an injured player, imagine what it would be like if I can play and help the team. I can’t wait for him to develop me as a footballer.’
Fatawu has spent up to six hours a day in rehab at the Foxes training ground, six days a week. He thinks the left knee he damaged is now stronger than his right. It’s a long shot he’ll appear this season but he’s confident he’ll be fully ready for the start of pre-season.
Whether van Nistelrooy is still there is uncertain. The King Power has been toxic in recent weeks though the City board and director of football Jon Rudkin receive more heat from fans than the manager.
Despite his age, Fatawu has already experienced a lot. First kicking a ball on dirt tracks in Tamale in northern Ghana, he joined an academy at eight, first realised he could make a pro career at 13 and left for Sporting Lisbon at 16. He played briefly under Ruben Amorim before fulfilling his dream to come to England.
After leading Leicester to promotion, he topped the Premier League charts for tackles-per-game and was second for dribbles-per-game behind Jeremy Doku when he suffered his injury.
Van Nistelrooy’s future is uncertain after he failed to turn around his side’s ailing form
Leicester are cut adrift in the bottom three and are slipping closer to the Championship
Fatawu is desperate to play under van Nistelrooy when fit to repay him for his support
The long lay-off has given him a perspective on life. To mark his ‘Coming of Age’ birthday last weekend, he donated food and water to an orphanage in Ghana, and invited friends around for Iftar, the fast-breaking meal that Muslims have during Ramadan.
‘I’ve learned a lot from my injury. It’s made me realise how important football is in my life,’ he says. ‘I’ve had a lot of help, not just the manager but team-mates like Ricardo Pereira and James Justin who have also had this injury.
‘When it happened, I thought I’d twisted my knee. I tried to continue playing but the pain was too much – I couldn’t carry on. We flew back from Angola to Ghana and had a scan the next morning.
‘Some things just happen but of course I felt bad because Leicester needed me. We won’t know if results would have been different but I feel like I would have had a good season.
‘I like to have the ball and create, take a risk sometimes. If there is no way, try to find a way. That is maybe why I like to dribble.’
Leicester players who aren’t in the first-team squad all arrive at the stadium an hour before kick-off to be in the dressing-room for van Nistelrooy’s team talk. ‘And when the players go to warm-up, I always watch,’ says Fatawu.
On the fans’ criticism to the team, he adds: ‘They have a right to react. It’s normal. We need to stick together because we are having bad times. I feel Ruud is one of the best coaches. We need to do more to get more wins.’
As a boy, Fatawu watched the Premier League with his Dad, games with games screened in communal rooms and charging an entry fee. When he was 12, he saw Leicester win the title, and learned a new name, Jamie Vardy.
Aged just 12, Fatawu watched Leicester win the title and learned Jamie Vardy’s name
Regardless of which division Leicester will be in, Fatawu is excited just to be on the pitch again
‘I used to support different teams. If one of them lost, I’d change to another,’ he laughs. ‘I didn’t know who Leicester City were before they won the title. We started to hear this name “Vardy” because he was the main man.
‘It is a bit of dream come true to now be at the same club. I’ve told him I’m lucky he didn’t retire and that he waited for me to come over and play with him!
‘On the pitch he gives you the confidence to do whatever you want. He has so much energy. If we’re playing together, I feel like I can definitely help him to score.’
Regardless of which division Leicester are in next season Fatawu will be excited just to be on the pitch again.
‘I don’t think I’ll play this season but I am not in any pain now, I can made different movements with my leg and I will be ready from day one of pre-season,’ he promises.
Ideally, with his footballing father van Nistelrooy still in charge.
