Dundee United prospect Kai Fotheringham looks to have played his final game for Raith Rovers due to a persistent ankle injury.
Stark’s Park boss John McGlynn has confirmed that Fotheringham will undergo surgery in the coming weeks.
As a result, the 18-year-old will be sidelined beyond the January expiry of his loan spell in Fife.
Fotheringham’s unique complaint sees him endure repeated dislocations, albeit he is able to ‘pop it back’ without serious damage.
The gifted midfielder has already gone under the knife to rectify the same problem on one ankle — but McGlynn has revealed that the issue is present on the other.
“During Kai’s time with us, his ankle has been dislocating and then popping back in again,” explained McGlynn. “It seems to be a generic thing, given it was in one ankle and is now in the other.
“There were moments when he’d come in and say ‘I just dislocated my ankle at half-time’. But he’s alright about it.
“Whereas, normally when folk are dislocating their ankle, they are getting stretchered off! This just pops in and out.
“Kai had an operation on his other ankle, which kept on getting dislocated and he is now having the same issues with this ankle. He needs to get that taken care of and tightened up.
“That will probably take him into the period where his loan deal runs out in January.
“We wish Kai all the very best and we thank Dundee United for allowing him to come here.”
McGlynn added: “It’s a shame for Kai but the most important thing is his ankle.
“At his age, still only 18, he needs to get any weaknesses seen too — because he’s got an awful lot of football to play and a great career ahead of him.”
Standards
McGlynn makes that prediction having worked with — and been impressed by — Fotheringham on a daily basis since August.
He was limited to just one start and seven substitute appearances for the Rovers in that time, largely due to the sparkling form of Dario Zanatta and Aidan Connolly.
But McGlynn is adamant the teenager was playing his part.
This is @kaifotheringham’s first professional goal. I suspect we’ll be hearing a lot more about this lad in the future. pic.twitter.com/eMQM03bEQm
— Ewan Smith (@ewansmithpr) March 24, 2021
“Kai put players under pressure,” continued McGlynn.
“Dario [Zanatta] has been on fire and part of that is because he knows Kai is there and, if his standards had dropped, Kai would have got in.
“He had opportunities to score against Hamilton and Ayr and did really well when he came on against Dunfermline.”
Asked whether Fotheringham’s absence could tempt him in to the free agent market for attacking reinforcements, McGlynn added: “We’re still looking but it’s not easy. We’re looking.”
