Karl Hein has been enjoying his run of first-team football for Reading FC after joining on loan from Arsenal in the winter window, but will now miss the coming matches.
The goalkeeper has thoroughly impressed since being given his chance in the first-team, quickly establishing himself as the first-choice at the Madejski since joining the club to replace the departed Rafael in the squad.
He brought an upturn in fortunes for their side, helping them to pick up seven points from his last three outings, but without him, they then suffered a 4-1 defeat to Blackpool yesterday.
After the defeat, manager Paul Ince confirmed that he suffered his injury whilst at home, and will now be out for between four and eight weeks.
Ince said (as quoted by TheSun): “[Hein] fell in his house and took the ligament off his bone in his thumb.
“So they’re talking four to six weeks out if he doesn’t need surgery or two months if it does.”
The 19 year-old has been a full international for Estonia for some time, and has reaped plenty of praise for his performances on the international stage, so it is no shock that he has taken the jump into senior football with the Championship side in his stride.
It is a shame that he struggled to show his true ability in pre-season however, when Bernd Leno was away on international duty, and with Ramsdale not having joined the club as of yet. Okonkwo was later named as the club’s third choice for the campaign, despite his struggles in pre-season also.
Arsenal have since signed Matt Turner from the MLS, who is now expected to try and challenge for the number one spot next term, with Leno expected to leave the club, and it remains to be seen what that will mean for our current youngsters who are hoping for their chance in the coming years.
Patrick
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