Irish League star facing 'nine months to a year' out with injury after 'worst nightmare' update
Carrick Rangers manager Stephen Baxter has revealed Mikey Place is set to miss “possibly nine months to a year” after suffering a torn ACL earlier this month – an update he admits is “the worst nightmare”.
Former Ballymena United full-back Place has impressed since joining Carrick in January, helping the Co Antrim club win their first major trophy in 33 years by beating Cliftonville in the Senior Shield final on penalties last season.
The 28-year-old has been an ever-present in Baxter’s side when available, making 23 Premiership appearances for Carrick.
In August, Place was rewarded for his strong performances with a new long-term contract, committing his future to Carrick until 2029.
Place was injured 36 minutes into Carrick’s Premiership fixture against reigning champions Larne on September 19 and he’s now set for a long spell on the sidelines.
It’s the latest blow for boss Baxter with club captain Luke McCullough missing Carrick’s last four league matches – the Northern Ireland defender has since undergone surgery to fix a knee problem.
Billy Joe Burns has also been absent from consecutive defeats to Larne and Glentoran while Paul Heatley returned last weekend after picking up a red card against Linfield which resulted in him missing three games.
"Luke got a little bit of surgery which is a tidy up of his meniscus,” Baxter told the club’s media channel. “We’re probably looking at a six to eight-week recovery.
"Billy Joe Burns has had his scan report back and that’s going to be a six to eight-week hamstring which is always tough, it’s a bigger tear than we thought, so that’s difficult.
"The early signs on Mikey Place aren’t good either. It looks like a torn ACL which is a long-term, possibly nine months to a year, injury, which is devastating news.
"Those are the things you hate to hear when you get a report back from your physio and doctor, it’s the worst nightmare, but it’s the football business.
"We’ve all been in it for a long time and these are the things that come your way that you have to deal with.
"We as a club will work through that and support all of these players because mentally when you receive that news as a young player, it affects your life, your day-to-day work, it affects everything.
"We deal with the disappointment, but they deal with the day-to-day and we have to get behind them and support them in every way we can.”
Carrick will be back in action on Saturday afternoon when they host Crusaders at Taylors Avenue.