Winger Aaron Doran has revealed Caley Thistle chiefs have twice cancelled operations to repair his injured knee – and refused to respond when asked whether they are actually going to pay for the career-saving surgery.
The now out-of-contract Inverness legend, 33, has played for ICT for almost 14 years, including in the Premiership.
He ruptured the ACL (anterior crucial ligament) in his right knee against Raith Rovers in April, leaving him unable to help as Caley Jags slid out of the Championship and into League One via a play-off final loss to Hamilton.
Doran – a winner of the Scottish Cup in 2015 and the Challenge Cup two years later – knows Caley Thistle have been left on the brink of administration.
However, the Irishman told The Press and Journal he needs answers on whether the club will keep their word and pay for his rescheduled knee operation next week, having already seen his recovery set back by seven or eight weeks.
It is the same injury which put former Caley Thistle striker Shane Sutherland out of the game in 2022. Sutherland has now launched an Aaron Doran ACL Surgery gofundme push to help Doran pay for the op if needed.
Doran ‘can’t even run after his kids’
He said: “I have had two surgeries booked in by the physio, Dan (Cluett), for May 22 and May 29, and the club cancelled them both – that last one was cancelled the day before, which wasn’t great.
“Dan was out of contract on May 30, but he did book me in for surgery next Wednesday.
“I don’t know why the club cancelled the surgeries.
“I got injured on April 19 and the scan showed I had a ruptured ACL and the consultant said I needed surgery.
“Then I had a meeting with the club. One of the directors is a retired knee surgeon (Panos Thomas), and one of the options put forward was I should try and rehab it – but you can’t rehab a ruptured ACL and try to play professional football. I said that didn’t work for me.
“I need to get this fixed as I can’t even run after my kids. I’m hobbling about.
“The physio agreed with me that we needed surgery. The club said that was fine – but both dates have been cancelled.
“With the physio now gone, I am now trying to contact the club and sort this out.
“No one has helped. I have messaged a few people and they have not got back to me.
“They did confirm through messages on my phone they would pay for surgery for any date in June, but I’ve not been able to confirm, after two cancelled dates, whether this is the case. It’s not looking too good.
“I need to get my knee sorted. Next week will be nine weeks out injured when I could already have had seven or eight weeks of recovery by then. This is pushing me back.
“For whatever time I have left of my career, losing another two months is not good.
“Hopefully someone at the club will get in touch this week or I will pay for this myself.
“The hospital are ringing me for payment, but I just don’t know what’s going to happen.
“My message I have sent to the club is: ‘Is this surgery going to be paid for? Because twice now it hasn’t happened. I need to know.’”
‘Not what I expected from this club’
A common theme since the relegation in May has been a lack of communication between Caley Thistle’s hierarchy and players, who didn’t even know plans were afoot to move training operations to Fife, in deal with fellow League One club Kelty Hearts.
That hugely controversial idea has been binned, but Doran has been left gutted by how ICT have treated players in recent weeks.
He said: “This is the first time since I have been at Caley Thistle where my contract has run out.
“I am in the exact same boat as Mark Ridgers and Wallace Duffy, who have spoken this week about having no contact with the club about new contracts.
“For almost 14 years, I have been at this club, and I expected to hear something. I have played 393 games for Caley Thistle and I’ve had no contact. It’s not a good look and not what I expected from this club.
“Ever since I was injured, I have felt out of the picture – almost like an outcast. I have spent nearly half my life at the club, so it’s a strange one and not enjoyable.
“When the injury happened, I had just got back into the team. I felt good and strong and wanted to get the chance to show them the impact I can make.
“Unfortunately, I got injured at the wrong time again, which usually happens to me.
‘We have mortgages to pay’ – Doran
“This is not a good situation for me or my family. I want to just get my knee fixed and take it from there.
“To have no communication from the club is not good enough.
“I feel bad for all the players.
“We’re not Premier League players – we have families and mortgages to pay for.
“If the club wants to release us, just tell us. If they’re not going to pay for an operation, tell us – don’t string us along.
“I know the club have a lot to deal with right now. There’s plenty of issues for the board to handle, but we have been the ones trying to keep the club up.
“To have no one communicating is crazy.
“We found out about the Kelty training plans at the same time as anyone else.”
Caley Thistle have been contacted for comment.
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