Kyle Taylor: Exeter City midfielder suffers 'worst injury a footballer can get'

Kyle Taylor joined Exeter from Bournemouth for an undisclosed fee last summer having previously had loan spells at Southend and Forest Green Rovers

Exeter City midfielder Kyle Taylor may not play again until 2023 after seriously injuring his knee at Oldham.

The 22-year-old was stretchered off shortly after scoring his first goal for the club in the 2-0 win last week.

"It's probably the worst injury a footballer can get," Exeter manager Matt Taylor told BBC Sport.

"A ruptured cruciate knee ligament injury, damage to his cartilage on both sides, damage to his medial ligament and also damage to the bone."

Taylor will undergo surgery on Monday but may need more than one operation to fix all the damage.

The summer signing from AFC Bournemouth was making his first start since 11 December and his absence left City needing to recall youngster Callum Rowe from a loan spell at Bath City for the 0-0 draw at Port Vale with Nigel Atangana suspended and Tim Dieng and Harry Kite also out injured.

"It's a real shame for Kyle," added Taylor.

"But you knew at the time because when there's no collision and your studs get caught in the turf and your body goes one way and the knee locks in the opposite direction, you fear for the worst.

"We were privately hoping it was just medial ligaments, which wouldn't be as long as the scenario has become.

"It's difficult to put a timeframe on it, it's a minimum of six months with a repaired cruciate, people look around the nine-month mark in reality with most cruciate injuries nine months to 12 months.

"But with the extra issue of having to repair the bone first and foremost, we don't know how long that will take before he actually gets his cruciate repaired."