James Justin battled through some lengthy spells out before his Leeds United arrival.
Leeds United defender James Justin believes two serious injuries suffered at Leicester City have shaped him as a player.
A largely solid career-long fitness record has two major blots, with Justin suffering an anterior cruciate ligament tear at Leicester in 2021 before falling victim to an Achilles tendon rupture less than two years later. Both required surgery kept him out for around 18 months combined.
“The worst one for me was my ACL just after Covid,” Justin told the Official Leeds United podcast. “I’d started playing regularly and was flying up and down, playing well and getting some recognition. Then just in a random cup match, midweek, freezing, I ended up doing my ACL.
“The realisation begins to set in after the operation just how long you’re going to be out for. I definitely felt a pop or like a quiet gunshot - someone else on the pitch said they heard it as well. That was a wild one.
“With my Achilles, I received it from the goalkeeper at right-back, opened out, took my first step then it felt like someone kicked me from behind. Within a split second you know no one is behind you, from then I just knew. It was obviously disappointment at the time but it’s definitely shaped who I am.”
Justin was only 22 when he suffered the ACL injury during a midweek FA Cup meeting with Brighton. At the time, the full-back was staking his claim for a place in the England squad for that summer’s delayed European Championships.
James Justin on mental injury struggles and leadership lessons
“The first injury was definitely a struggle mentally because I hadn’t really been through it before,” he explained. “I was in a good place, if I’d kept on playing the way I was I’d have been challenging for England.
“The Achilles was a lot easier to deal with because I’d been through it before in terms of having a bad injury, so I knew what it took to get back. Also I had matured by that time and understood. Obviously they're part of the game but I felt like it was a good time, if any, to have the injury because I was in a stronger place mentally and the rehab was a lot smoother.
“I just knew what it took to get back to playing at a high level and my body feeling good, which I feel is the main thing after an injury. You don't want to be waking up every day with aches and pains, you want to be able to run around with your kids post-career, you don't want to butcher your body that might affect you afterwards.”
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Now 28, Justin is experienced in terms of age and what he’s been through. The defender went from winning the FA Cup in 2021 to twice suffering Premier League relegation, claiming a Championship title and promotion over Leeds in 2023/24 - but the challenge of battling through two serious injuries has also formed him into a standard-setter on the pitch.
“After being injured for that long and seeing people out on the pitch not giving it their all, it’s just like you don't know how lucky you are and how much I have given to be back out there,” James added. “That’s something I could never accept from anyone, dilly-dallying about and taking it for granted.
“Every day on the pitch is positive. It’s easy to take it for granted when you’ve never been through something like that but once you have, there’s no turning back.”
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