Corry Evans: 'My nose was pushed 2cm back into my head'

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Corry Evans: 'My nose was pushed 2cm back into my head'

Corry Evans says that the impact which led to him fracturing his skull could be compared to getting hit in the face with a hammer.

The Northern Ireland midfielder suffered the injury during a Championship game for Blackburn Rovers against Preston North End in January.

Evans, 29, is hopeful of being available to play again in May, but said he was fearful for his career immediately after the incident.

"It was scary at the time," he said.When you hear fractured skull you do think the worst, but I was reassured pretty quickly that it wasn't career-threatening or life-threatening - or anything like that.

"Once I heard that, it made it a lot easier to deal with. However, my wife, kids, mum and dad were at the game and it was worrying for them to see me lying on the pitch like that.After my surgery, the surgeon said that my nose was actually pushed 2cm back into my head. I saw that in the first scan after I went through it with him. Part of the front of my forehead was in fragments and my eye socket was also crushed, so there was quite a lot that he had to fix.

"The surgeon said the impact from the injury was something that you would see in a car crash or getting hit with a baseball bat or a hammer."

Evans' description of what was involved in his surgery provides a further insight into the extent of the work required to begin repairing the damage.

"Basically, I was cut from the top of one ear right across the top of my head to the other ear," explained the former Hull City player, who also pointed out that there was no malice in the tackle from Preston captain Tom Clarke that caused the damage.

"My face was peeled down to about my eyes and they had to build everything back up and put metal plates in, as well as getting my nose straightened up as much as they could.

"The surgery took about five or six hours and it was obviously painful for a week or so afterwards, but since I came off all the painkillers I have been back to myself, and am getting on with day-to-day life as normal." IrelandWhile the coronavirus shutdown means it is uncertain when matches in the Championship will resume, Evans said he hopes to return to running next week.

"There is no rush from the club's side, they have not put any pressure on me and just let me get on with things in my own time," he continued.

"But the surgeons and medical teams say it takes the bone six weeks after surgery (which took place on 27 January) to heal properly again and then another six weeks after that for the bone to be back to its strongest.

"After that I will be back in full contact training, but it will just be a case of when I'm ready. I've been doing a lot of work in the gym and, when the time comes to start heading a ball again, I will be ready.

"The lads (Blackburn) have been doing really well. It would be nice if we could get into the play-offs and I could be in and around the squad again."