Connor Wickham's career took a brutal turn just three months into his second season at Crystal Palace, a spell that began with a £9m move from Sunderland in the summer of 2015.
According to Sky Sports, the striker has now opened up on the 18 months he spent without a club as his fortunes unravelled through injury. Wickham described the period as "torture," admitting he couldn't even bring himself to watch football while sidelined and searching for a new team.
The forward's struggles highlight how quickly a promising move can derail — Palace's investment in him never delivered the returns either party hoped for, and Wickham found himself frozen out of the game entirely for a year and a half.
While Sky Sports' report doesn't detail the specific injuries or circumstances that led to his prolonged absence, Wickham's candid reflection paints a picture of a player who endured real hardship away from the pitch, unable to escape the sport that had become his source of pain rather than passion.