Cain: It Took A Lot To Come Back
In the last few months, Cain has scored the winner against Liverpool, netted in the Continental Tyres League Cup, and featured for her country.
But after a year away from the pitch, Leicester’s No.21 wanted to open up about her recovery process, as she explained to former Fox Sweetman-Kirk how hard it was to overcome such a critical setback in her career.
“I never felt as strong,” Cain stated. “Then we had a friendly against Spurs at the weekend, and I went to plant my feet to chase back, and as I planted my knee just popped. I didn't hear anything, but I felt it straight away, and obviously I was in agony. When you hear someone scream like I did, you kind of know that it is what it is.
“I said after my foot injury that if I ever got another big one, I'd be done. It took a lot to come back from that mentally. I lost my love of football. I only got it back when I came here, but it still took me a long time to get that back to that point.”
Hannah was keen to explain how people see the injury, and then the return, but aren’t aware of what happens in that grey area in between. At what was one of the most challenging periods of her life, the forward shared her thoughts of what is was like in that moment, and what eventually gave the fighting spirit to return.
“It wasn't me that had the motivation,” she continued. “It was my family and it was the few friends that I do have that cared about me during the time. Through the process, you find out who's actually there for you and who goes as soon as it hits the fan.
“My motivation was that there was a FIFA World Cup we might be able to qualify for, Leicester weren't doing well at the time, but I knew that I could have an impact if I was back. That was the motivation as well. All these things were floating around in my head while I'm still trying to rehab my knee. There are so many things to it that you just get so overwhelmed.”
Having gone through the exhausting process of rehabilitation, the 24-year-old had a message to share to anyone going through a similar setback.
She added: “My biggest message would be to younger people that go through it. Don't panic if you have done it, but you need a foundation and a good support system around you to get you through.
“There's going to be more days than there isn't where mentally, you don't want to do it. But then if you look at the end goal. What I've done now. I've scored in the cup. I've scored in the league to win us a game, a high pressured one as well. I've come back, played three games for Wales, got my first start as well. There are so many highs that are there – it is achievable.
“Even though I've gone through so much to get to that process, the end is so worth it. In the days where you want to give up, just know that there is an outcome at the end waiting for you.”
Watch Hannah’s full interview HERE.