A fundraising page has been set up for a Braintree Town defender following a season-ending injury.
Ange Djadja suffered a full rupture of his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) when the Iron faced Ipswich Town Under 21s, in a National League Cup match in August.
He signed for the National League South side from Merstham over the summer, but his season had been cut short when he went off injured on August 18.
Agent Tommy Dominguez said: “Ange was contesting for the ball and landed awkwardly.
“He’s been to see Colin Lewin, who was Arsenal’s head of medical for over 20 years.
"He had an MRI scan, and he’s had an initial scan at the club, too. It was confirmed that he had a full rupture of his ACL and will need reconstructive surgery.
“That’s why I set up his GoFundMe page, as the surgery and rehabilitation have been quoted at around £12,000.
"Hopefully the page can go some way to covering the costs and helping Ange receive the treatment he needs to make a full recovery.
On top of the financial cost, the injury has slowed Djadja’s footballing progress too.
His agent added: “It’s taken its toll, understandably, on him. He helped Merstham reach a cup final, was ranked as the best under-23 defender throughout of all the Step Four leagues across the country and won young player of the season.
“On top of receiving offers from National League South teams, one or two teams were interested in him at National League level.
"For him, this season was all about playing and progressing. That was the reason he came to Braintree Town.
“To pick up this injury so early on in the season, it’s been difficult for him to take.”
Manager Steve Pitt played a crucial role in recruiting Djandja over the summer, and sympathised with his situation.
The Braintree boss said: “It was really unfortunate. These things happen.
"He looked like he was going to be a starter, moving forwards, this season.
"The pitches being like concrete doesn’t help.
"I’ve had three ACL re-builds myself and I’ve now got an artificial left knee, so I know the process of how it works. I know of the pain that you have to endure.
“We’ll support him in every way that we can.
"Myself, my staff and the players will all contribute to the GoFundMe page, to a man.
"Because of my own experiences, when you have the operation, you can look forward. Unfortunately, he’s in limbo-land whilst waiting for the operation. There is no way forward until the surgery is done."
Those who wish to contribute to Djandja's page can do so via this link: https://www.gofundme.com/f/get-ange-djadja-back-on-the-pitch-support-his-acl-surgery
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