Cathcart relieved to wake up from Watford injury nightmare

Watford star Craig Cathcart has revealed his injury hell is finally over after a troublesome groin injury sidelined him for three months.

The centre-back played a key role in the Hornets’ impressive start to the campaign, but was struck down in late September.

He did not play again until New Year’s Day, a woeful 4-1 loss at Tottenham, but since then he has grown back into the role and settled back into the Northern Ireland team on the international stage.

“The start of the season was frustrating for me and I couldn’t really put my finger on what it was,” he said.

LONDON, ENGLAND – MARCH 18: Craig Cathcart of Watford (L) and Wilfried Zaha of Crystal Palace (R) battle for possession during the Premier League match between Crystal Palace and Watford at Selhurst Park on March 18, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)

“I was getting pain in my groin, and across my lower abs, so it took a while to get a diagnosis.

“It’s a pretty complicated area, everything crosses over in the middle of your body. I went to Italy, Spain, Germany, Holland, Denmark – it was a bit of a tour!

“The medical team at Watford tried to send me to the best places for the best treatment and they just wanted to look after me in the best way.

“The specialists got together in the end and decided surgery was the best option but it did perhaps take a bit long to reach that conclusion.

“It was probably the worst injury I’ve had just because of the fact it was so hard to get a diagnosis and it was a complicated area so you end up with pain in all kinds of areas.”