ACL tear & reconstruction: return-to-play times
Not medical advice. This page is general education summarizing published research on professional footballers. It is not a diagnosis or treatment plan for anyone. If you are injured, see your own clinician.
An anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) rupture is one of the most serious knee injuries in football and usually needs surgical reconstruction.
What the research reports
- ACL rupture and reconstruction had the longest return time of all lower-limb injuries studied.
- Average time back to training: about 213 days (≈7 months).
- Average time back to matches: about 250 days (≈8 months).
These are averages across many players. Individual recovery varies a lot. Last reviewed 16 Oct 2026.
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Who's out, who's back, and what the injury actually means, before every Fantasy Premier League deadline.
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