Elbow injury for unlucky All White Ryan Thomas

All Whites midfielder Ryan Thomas’ horrid luck with injury continues.

Ryan Thomas in action for the All Whites against Peru in the 2018 World Cup Intercontinental play-offs.
Photo: Andrew Cornaga/Photosport

Playing for Dutch club PEC Zwolle in just his second competitive match back from another long-term knee injury, Thomas was forced from the field with an injured arm during the second half of their match at the weekend.

The 28-year-old fell awkwardly while making a tackle, with the the club’s website saying Thomas hurt his elbow, which was briefly dislocated before quickly being put back in place.

Thomas posted a picture on social media on Monday (NZ time) of his right arm in a cast after the 3-0 away win against Heracles Almelo, which took Zwolle to the top of the Dutch second division.

“Not how I wanted to end the game but at least I could get the cast in blue and white to celebrate the win,” he said.

“Now to recover.”

Zwolle hadn’t reported the specific nature of the injury or a timeline for recovery.

Thomas had only played his first match in 15 months in the club’s previous fixture, returning after a knee injury which had led to his departure from powerhouse Dutch club PSV Eindhoven.

Prior to that, he also had significant time out with an ankle injury in 2021 and spent more than a year on the sidelines across 2018 and 2019 after suffering a knee injury just days after signing with PSV.

Thomas, a pacey and highly-skilled midfielder, had earned 18 caps for the All Whites, including playing a prominent role for the New Zealand team at the 2017 Confederations Cup and 2018 World Cup intercontinental playoff matches against Peru.

His last match for the All Whites was a friendly 3-1 defeat to Ireland in Dublin in late 2019.

– RNZ