While Matildas fans soak up the shocking news that Mary Fowler will be out for up to a year with a serious knee injury, the star has sent them a hopeful message pointing out the upside of the shattering blow.
Fowler ruptured her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) when she wrenched her right knee while playing for Manchester City in the FA Cup last Sunday and is now in a race against time to play in next year’s home Asian Cup.
But the 22-year-old was upbeat as she addressed the massive setback in a message to her Instagram followers on Thursday.
‘Nothing like a reminder of how lucky I am,’ she began, with the sentence accompanied by a love heart and a short video of an empty bench at a beach.
‘Thank you for all the kind messages, they mean a lot to me.
‘I’m definitely feeling the love and support. And sorry if I haven’t gotten back to you yet!!
Pictured: Fowler is treated by Manchester City staff seconds after rupturing her anterior cruciate ligament last Sunday
The news has left Aussie soccer fans shattered – but Fowler (pictured playing for the Matildas) believes there’s an upside to being out of the game for up to a year
Fowler’s injury should give her far more time to catch up with her NRL superstar boyfriend Nathan Cleary (pictured together)
‘I’m in good spirits, ready to tackle this rehab and alsoooo stop to smell the flowers along the way.’
The post also featured a pic explaining ‘slow living’ as ’embracing simplicity, savoring the present moment, and finding inner peace among the chaos’.
Fowler also posted the message, ‘At the end of the day, it’s just you & your silly little life. So go on, enjoy it, be the person you want to be.’
On top of that, the long layoff will give Fowler far more time to be together with her boyfriend Nathan Cleary, with the couple previously struggling to catch up due to their busy schedules and being separated by 17,000km.
The injury forced Fowler out of the FA Cup semi-final against Manchester United, which City ultimately lost 2-0, inside 20 minutes.
City interim manager Nick Cushing had admitted it ‘doesn’t look great imminently’ but said City were ‘not fearing the worst’.
But scans confirmed the dreaded injury, which means Fowler will need to undergo a full knee reconstruction.
‘Manchester City can confirm Mary Fowler has suffered a rupture to her anterior cruciate ligament,’ City said in a statement on Wednesday.
Fowler used an Instagram post (pictured) to reassure her fans that she’s OK and looking forward to having the time to ‘stop to smell the flowers’
The 22-year-old also posted a message (pictured) that gives an insight into how she’ll deal with the long road back to the field
‘Mary will remain under the care of the club’s medical team and start her rehabilitation.
‘Everyone at City wishes Mary all the best on a full and speedy recovery.’
It will likely rule Fowler out for close to a year, in a hammer blow to Australia’s hopes of winning the Women’s Asian Cup next March.
The attacker has been in dynamic form for City, scoring 10 goals across all competitions, and underlined her ability with a starring role in Australia’s friendlies against South Korea earlier this month.
‘I’m really disappointed to be facing some time out of the game,’ Fowler said.
‘It’s never easy when something like this happens especially when you’ve been working so hard and feeling good.
‘The road ahead will be challenging, but I’m ready to take it on.
‘There’s still so much I want to achieve, and I’ll be using this time to grow in every way I can.
‘I’m committed to doing the work, staying positive and coming back better than ever.’
Fowler’s injury also means the new Matildas coach, widely expected to be current Lyon boss Joe Montemurro, will be unable to call on her early in their tenure.
‘Everyone in the Matildas and Football Australia family – players, coaches, and support staff – will be right behind Mary as she takes the first steps toward her comeback,’ interim coach Tom Sermanni said.
Losing Fowler also piles more pressure on Arsenal star Caitlin Foord to be Australia’s main attacking threat.
The Matildas are still without skipper Sam Kerr, who suffered the second ruptured ACL of her career during a training camp with Chelsea in January 2024.
Kerr, who joined her Matildas teammates in camp this month, is still considered several weeks away from playing.
‘It’s difficult to put a timeframe on it,’ Chelsea coach Sonia Bompastor said on the weekend.
