CARSON, Calif. – Landon Donovan has been dealing with a left ankle issue since September, but now that the LA Galaxy are out of the postseason, the 31-year-old is planning to take some time to prepare for an important 2014.
On Monday, in the club’s final media availability of the year, Donovan told reporters that he is expecting to take the next month to deal with a sprained left ankle that has limited him for more than a month and a half. The injury was the club's reasoning behind Donovan's omission from the U.S. National Team's November friendlies against Scotland and Austria.
Ahead of a year where he’ll be needed to lead the LA Galaxy and the U.S. National Team at the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, the offseason is a bit of a blessing in disguise for Donovan.
“[The offseason] is a little bit of a blessing, and I'm probably going to need the full time to let it heal,” Donovan said Monday of the injury that first surfaced during LA’s 2-2 draw with D.C. United in September. “My aim is to take at least the next four weeks and probably six weeks and let the ankle heal and then get myself ready.”
Donovan is hoping to be ready by January which is when the Galaxy are scheduled to reconvene for training camp, but whether he’ll be able to participate in the U.S. National Team’s annual January camp remains up in the air.
“We'll see what happens,” Donovan said. “I have to speak with Jurgen and see if that's something he wants me to be a part of.”
