Fresh injury setback could signal end of McFadden's Leinster career

Fergus McFadden’s Leinster career could be over after the province confirmed the Ireland international has suffered another injury setback. A squad update issued by Leinster today announced that McFadden will be unavailable for up to six weeks after sustaining a calf injury.

It’s a cruel blow which could signal the end of McFadden’s Leinster career given the timeframes involved.

The province are due to play their rescheduled Champions Cup quarter-final against Saracens in just under five weeks time, on September 19.

Rugby Wrap Up I Episode 15

Rugby Wrap Up I Episode 15

McFadden now faces a serious race to be fit for that game, and even if he does win that battle the competition for places in the Leinster team represents another hurdle.

The Champions Cup semi-finals are pencilled in for the weekend after the Saracens game, with the final taking place the weekend of October 17/18.

The Leinster veteran’s last Champions Cup appearance came in the 2018 semi-final win against Scarlets, where he was injured in the process of scoring a first-half try.

The 34-year-old recently postponed his decision to retire in order to see out the remainder of the suspended 2019/20 season with Leinster.

He has represented the province 184 times since making his debut in 2007, scoring 444 points.

Meanwhile, Leinster have also confirmed that prop Vakh Abdaladze and centre Conor O’Brien will be unavailable for Saturday’s Pro14 derby against Munster at the Aviva Stadium.

Abdaladze is due to have a procedure this week on a long-standing back issue, while O’Brien is expected to be unavailable for a number of months following surgery on a hamstring issue.

Peter Dooley is in line to return to training this week following a shoulder problem, while Dan Leavy will progress his gradual exposure to rugby training this week as he recovers from a serious knee injury.

There was no update provided on either Adam Byrne (hamstring) or James Ryan (shoulder).