Oxford United have received good news about the eye injury sustained by midfielder Cameron Brannagan, but are unable to put a timescale on his absence.
The 24-year-old first became aware of the issue on October 13, the day the U’s were due to face Crewe Alexandra in their rearranged League One fixture. The club played an in-house friendly, in which the midfielder lasted just 20 minutes before being taken off.
Brannagan was sent to the John Radcliffe hospital but after hours of tests, they were still at a loss to explain the blurred vision which was caused by an inflammation behind the eye – something which only happens twice a year across England.
Eventually, eye specialist Dr Sharma called the 24-year-old back in and the possible outcomes were infection or inflammation. Brannagan has been put on a course of steroids to avoid any possible future surgery.
And after positive news from a check-up at the start of the week, the midfielder was hugely relieved. Speaking to the Oxford Mail, he said: “I closed my right eye and my mum said to me ‘can you see me with your left eye?’
“I said I couldn’t see her at all. When I could see my mum was upset like that it made me a little bit worse.
“Football didn’t come into my mind. I was thinking ‘this could be really serious’. That Friday was the longest night of my life.”
Brannagan added: “When I went back to see the specialist panic was setting in, my head was so gone.
“She said we’ve got a good feeling it is inflammation and a weight came off my shoulders.
“She said ‘I think we’ve saved your right eye’. I was thinking ‘that’s brilliant, I can’t thank you enough’.
“I’m going to do something for the hospital and the eye consultancy. I owe them so much.”
And the midfielder knows it could have been worse, saying: “It was a race against time.
“If I hadn’t been called back in on the Friday and I’d left it until the Monday she said I would have been blind in my right eye.”
The steroids have helped his recovery but have weakened his immune system, and at a time when the coronavirus is a major threat, the midfielder has been forced to isolate for four weeks.
Despite the major setback, Brannagan remains positive about the position he is in and has sent his appreciation to those that have wished him well.
He said: “Everyone from the club, the players, the staff, Dr Sharma, the hospital, all the fans that have sent their wishes.
“I’ve seen them all and I can’t thank everyone enough for supporting me and being there for me when I needed them.”
He added: “There’s always a light at the end of the tunnel and at some stage, something good will happen. That’s the way I look at it.
“Now I’m in a process. I was on the floor, I‘ve got myself back up and I’m working towards getting back fit and I’m looking positively again.
“I feel I’m going to get better. I tell myself every day it’s going to get better. I tell myself I’m lucky to see my family.
“I’m just thankful and I totally believe you’ve got to be positive, no matter what.”
U’s boss Karl Robinson is also encouraged by the 24-year-old’s diagnoses. The head coach, who remains close to his players, had been visiting Brannagan in hospital during his time there.
But the positive news has helped the morale in the squad and has delighted the manager. He said: “The elation and relief that brought I can’t really explain. Once he gets the all-clear we can see where he’s at.
“He’s a long way from being back fit, but it was the best news we could have had.
“From that point of view, it’s a race against the clock to get those steroids off him.
“There still needs to be improvement in the eye, that’s why the steroids are there. But they’ve seen enough improvement to be really positive.”
