Former Aston Villa youngster retires aged 22 after third knee injury

Devastating news have hit the world of football as Myles Sohna has announced his retirement from professional football on Saturday. The former Aston Villa academy player was forced into hanging up his boots at the age of 22 as he was unable to fully recover from a third knee operation.

"It is with mixed emotions that due to injury, I have decided to retire from professional football," Sohna began in his emotional statement posted on Instagram. "This has truly been the hardest decision I’ve ever had to make, but after months of carful consideration and consulting with a specialist, it has become clear that this is the best decision for my long-term health."

Beofre his retirement, the young defender was developing into a promising talent as he rose through Villa's academy system, featuring 17 times for the under-18s and on 11 times for the under-21s. He was released by Aston Villa at the end of the 2022/23 campaign, but has been unable to kickstart his career elsewhere after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament tear in each knee in back-to-back seasons.

After sucessfully recovering from those two major blows, Sohna was not able to get back up for the third time. His third knee injury ultimately proved career-ending. "Going into the operation, I knew there was a chance the injury could potentially be career ending but I never imagined this would become my reality," he admits. "Despite doing everything in my power to get back fit, I still experience significant pain and swelling every time I perform any high impact activity. As a result of this, I have been advised that continuing my career would severely affect not only my ability to play but most importantly, my quality of life in the future and given this, my health must come first."

The 22-year-old then concludes his statement as he added: "I want to thank my family and friends for their unwavering support throughout my footballing career and also my past teammates and staff at Aston Villa FC for making my 12 years there so special. I made memories there that I will carry with me for the rest of my life. I trust that this is Allahs [God] plan for me and I believe that he is the best of all planners. I now look forwards to beginning this new chapter in my life."

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