Player Analysis: David Turnbull

If you have watched Motherwell FC’s documentary, ‘David Turnbull: The Comeback Story’, you will have learned a few things: Motherwell have an exceptional media team, Scotland really does have terrible weather, and life can simply be cruel sometimes. The latter was certainly the case for David Turnbull.

After a phenomenal 2018/19 breakthrough season where he bagged 16 goals and 7 assists in 34 games, the midfielder was pictured at Celtic Park in June 2019 and had all but signed for the Scottish Champions. Neil Lennon had spoken with Sky Sports News to tell the world that he had arrived, and the midfielder had even been photographed wearing green and white next to his future boss. However, what transpired was the most unfortunate of cases. 

The 19-year-old at the time subsequently went on to fail his medical after a precautionary CT scan highlighted a problem with his knee cartilage. In what was seen as a ‘freak scenario’, Turnbull said: “The surgeons told me I could play on for another five to ten years and it couldn’t hurt me, but that I could go into training tomorrow and it could go as soon as that and just snap off."

Turnbull would require a subsequent knee operation which would see the deal called off. Thereafter, the midfielder would go through some of the darkest challenges, not only as a footballer, but as a person too. As his dream vanished overnight, his emotional, mental and physical strength would all be put to the test for the best part of eight months in his recovery.