Premier League: Top 10 Injured Stars Who'll Be Back with a Vengeance Next Season

Being injured, especially for a long period of time, is not pleasant for any footballer. If nothing else can be gained from the frustrating journey back to fitness, a prolonged absence may at least provide a source of inspiration for that eventual return to first-team action.

They will be waiting impatiently for the day they can lace up their boots and return to the training pitch, and get into match-shape for the season ahead. While that day may seem far away, it is the target that will keep them working hard to make sure it comes.

The following ten men have either missed much of this current campaign, or in a few particularly unfortunate cases, pretty much missed it altogether.

Their absences have been felt keenly by their clubs, and for good reason too.

Whilst there is no guarantee of the impact they will have on the 2012/13 campaign, their returns are eagerly awaited...

Jack Wilshere

The way Arsenal have gone about salvaging a season that threatened to sink without a trace, is a commendable effort. That in itself is a story for another time, but one especially intriguing subplot has been how manager Arsene Wenger has gone about constructing his midfield following the departure of Cesc Fabregas and in the absence of Jack Wilshere.

Mikel Arteta has brought a calming presence to the Gunners' play, which in itself has only proved beneficial in freeing up Alex Song, whilst the resurgence of Tomas Rosicky has been a pleasant surprise in the latter half of the season.

Impressive as the midfield has been in the role it has played in taking Arsenal to third in the Premier League, Wilshere's presence may have been what was needed to take his team beyond satisfactory and towards a title challenge.

The suitability of Wenger's squad in challenging for Premier League honors next season will much depend on what transpires this summer (i.e. what happens with Robin van Persie). What is all but certain is that the Frenchman's midfield will be built around the young Englishman.

Wilshere's great 2010/11 campaign has already established his credentials as a genuine top-class player, and considering he is only 20 and will not have had a summer of international football creating an issue of fatigue, there is little to suggest he won't be performing back at the level he was last year.

Arsenal fans can look forward to the thrilling prospect of the continued evolution of what may well be the best English midfield since Paul Gascoigne was in his prime.

Darren Bent

England forward Darren Bent has not yet been ruled out of this summer's European Championships and has begun light-running following ankle surgery in March. After missing out on squads for the World Cup in 2006 and 2010, the Aston Villa player will be desperate to make it this time around.

At 28-years-old, Bent will know that he is only just around the corner from the point when that pace and sharpness may start to desert him. Whilst Euro 2012 is an opportunity he will not want to miss, the same can be said of what next season offers for him, whether that is with Villa or not.

Bent's career has been a stop-start one, not so much in his own form, but in that the surroundings around him have changed every couple of years since his four years with Ipswich Town (and that's not including the managerial changes that come in spells at every club other than Sunderland).

That desire for consistency might be undermined once more, should Villa prove unable to avoid relegation in his absence, and with Bent likely to want to remain in the top-flight, another move may be on the cards.

Wherever the striker will be playing come August, goals will certainly be on the agenda.

Should that be where he is now, Villa will still be heavily reliant on Bent, who scored nine league goals prior to his injury. For their own sake, though, the club will need to lighten the load and invest in an additional scorer and find a way to improve the service to their frontmen.

If Bent can get that help, it is all but certain he will do as he has always done—score goals.

Stuart Holden

Stuart Holden's importance to Bolton Wanderers can be measured by their struggles in his absence.

The American midfielder was an integral part of the team that in 2010/11 found themselves looking strong for a top-half finish and had even reached an FA Cup semifinal.

But after suffering a season-ending knee-injury following a challenge from Manchester United's Johnny Evans, Bolton were thrashed 5-0 by Stoke City in the cup and their league form disintegrated.

The loss to Stoke may have been the real catalyst for that dismal end to the season, but the cost of Holden's absence has been further highlighted in a difficult campaign for the Trotters this time around, with Owen Coyle's team struggling without his energy at the heart of the midfield.

This has followed on from another long-term injury, ending this year before it really begun, with one solitary appearance in the Carling Cup being all Holden has had to show for it.

However, this unfortunate interruption to his blossoming Premier League career will surely not hurt the 26-year-old's ambition to establish himself.

Regardless of whether Bolton are relegated this season or not, it is difficult to envision Holden departing the club who gave him his chance in England. Well, not yet anyway.

Holden's current deal with them runs out in the summer of 2013. One more year will see him making up for lost time in looking to get Bolton back on track, and depending on the circumstances, alerting clubs elsewhere of a prospective gem in the making.

Michael Dawson

Many observers of Tottenham Hotspur are highlighting the root cause of their disappearing good form since late-February as being that of the near-constant swirl of speculation surrounding Harry Redknapp's future, since the England job became available.

Much more likely, however, was the way they were thoroughly and deservedly dismantled by Arsenal, going two-nil up, only to lose 5-2.

It was a result and a performance that brought Spurs crashing back to reality, and while it cannot be singularly blamed for what has occurred since then, it was undeniably a major contributing factor and a significant blow to the ego of the previously flying team.

Both that game, and what has since followed, have only gone to highlight the crucial absence of Michael Dawson in both the Spurs defence and as a leader for the whole team.

While Spurs managed comfortably in his absence for half a season, the going was nowhere near as tough as it would become in the season's closing months. Upon his return from an early-season injury, Dawson demonstrated his value for such times with a typically reliable showing in the face of Liverpool's onslaught at Anfield (securing a well-earned point), before then marshaling Newcastle United's on-fire attack, as Spurs thrashed them, 5-0.

Unbelievably, Redknapp overlooked Dawson for Arsenal, a baffling oversight in such a huge game. A mistake he was unable to correct as the defender's season was over after suffering another injury against Stevenage.

Whoever is in charge at Tottenham next season cannot overlook the increasing importance of Dawson. If he can avoid any further bad luck with injuries, he has the quality as both a defender and a captain of the team that Spurs' defence should be built around in the next few years.

If they don't give him that opportunity, Dawson best look elsewhere and find a club who does want him. Because like John Terry, Tony Adams, Terry Butcher and others of their kind, he is someone who can become the vital, beating heart of a defence.

Nemanja Vidic

The value of Nemanja Vidic to Manchester United was demonstrated this past Sunday against Everton, as his teammates combined to let several leads go, conceding two in the final ten minutes to draw 4-4.

Since the Serbian's season was ended in December, there has been little to fault in United's defensive displays. The goal conceded in the 1-0 loss, away at Wigan Athletic, was the only one they had in seven games since beating Tottenham 3-1.

That run saw the Red Devils climb to the top of the table, and only emphasized the good efforts of Rio Ferdinand, Johnny Evans, Chris Smalling and Phil Jones in all playing their part over the season and in the absence of their captain.

But with the title race coming down to its final stages, the Everton game went to show how crucial it is to have your very best players there when needed most.

Ferdinand has enjoyed a strong year without serious injury, whilst the other previously mentioned three continue to show signs of developing, but that defence undeniably looks stronger when the rock that is Vidic is there.

The 30-year-old will be out to prove in 2012/13 why he is United's best centre-back. Assuming there aren't any lingering issues from the knee injury that ended this campaign prematurely, you have to believe Vidic will not miss a stride, in what at his age is still the prime of a defender's career.

With Ferdinand showing he's not done yet, and promising younger players in the position to contend with, Vidic should benefit from the competition and provide a continued example of what a top Premier League defender should look like.

Lucas Leiva

Lucas Leiva is a lesson in why players should be given time to develop.

Despite his youthfulness (and needing to get used to a new country), there was a percentage of Liverpool fans who joined in with many others in prematurely writing the Brazilian off when he didn't immediately thrive.

In fairness, most of those doubters have held their hands up and admitted their mistake, as Lucas has proven himself an integral part of the Liverpool lineup. Currently out through injury, he has been sorely missed.

Lucas has developed into a fine passer and an intelligent mover of the ball, whilst also being someone aware enough to realise his usefulness in facilitating other players.

2012/13 should see him slot back into that role, and, the hope will be, get going without missing a beat. What the midfield surrounding him will look like is unclear.

In his absence, Liverpool have had difficulty in finding the right balance. With so many players who like to get on the ball and create, it has often been a case of too many cooks spoiling the broth. Without a head chef (to continue the metaphor) to designate who should focus on what, there has been an unevenness in Liverpool's play at times.

Lucas should help restore that, and whilst there will likely be new additions to the midfield position this summer, his presence, along with a year's experience at Anfield for the likes of Jordan Henderson and Charlie Adam, will hopefully lead to a more settled team and style of play.

James Morrison

Under Roy Hodgson, West Bromwich Albion have quietly turned into a thoroughly decent Premier League outfit. Which, after years of yo-yoing between the top-flight and Championship, is a very good thing indeed.

One of the pivotal players in this development has been Scottish international James Morrison.

Though not suffering from a long-term injury, Morrison will be counting down the days until next season, after an excellent campaign this time around was cut short early.

Hodgson has increasingly deployed him in central midfield, and the Scotsman has repaid him with some fine performances.

Having made his Premier League debut for Middlesbrough in 2004, it seems like the 25-year-old has been around forever. But with youth on his side, and with the continued careful management of Hodgson, he may well yet be one of the players who not only establish the Baggies in the Premier League, but make them a genuine top-10 side.

Steven Taylor

This season will have been a bittersweet experience for Steven Taylor.

His enjoyment at seeing his beloved Newcastle United flourish once more, as Alan Pardew's side mount an unpredicted push for a top-four place, will be tempered somewhat by the disappointment of not being part of it all.

For Taylor, the frustration is enhanced as he was very much a contributor to the early-season form that has proved to be the foundation of this surprise challenge.

In his place the central-defence pairing of Mike Williamson and Fabricio Coloccini have been among Newcastle's strongest performers (admittedly that is a big group), helming one of the strongest defences in the Premier League right now.

To not be part of that, though, will likely only make him more focused on ensuring he will be this time next year. That can only be a plus for Pardew, as he will be only too aware of the difficulty the club will face in maintaining their superb form next season.

For that to be possible, he will need a squad that is raring to go, with the same mixture of unity and desire that has fired their campaign this time around.

Taylor is as good a man as any to have around in this respect. He won't rock the boat if his game-time is limited to begin with, and when his time comes, there will be one of the Premier League's most increasingly solid defenders.

Tom Huddlestone

Tom Huddlestone's injury-ravaged past two seasons came at a particularly inopportune time for the Tottenham Hotspur man (though is there really any good time to be hurt?).

Since arriving at White Hart Lane as an 18-year-old he had enjoyed a steady development. His range of passing and thunderous shooting ability endearing him early on to the Spurs' supporters, in 2009/10 they saw an added sense of maturity to Huddlestone's game as he ably shepherded the team's midfield, en-route to Champions League qualification.

At the point when it would be hoped his progress would see him move up another level in his play, injury a third of the way through the following season stopped him where he was, a delay that has continued with another long-term injury this season.

All being well, he should return for the beginning of the 2012/13 season, where he will face the prospect of some serious competition for places in the Tottenham midfield.

Watching some of Spurs' most impressive periods this season, Huddlestone would have been forgiven for thinking his future might lay elsewhere, with Scott Parker, Luka Modric, Sandro and Jake Livermore excelling in his absence.

But Tottenham have become an increasingly tired-looking proposition, one that could have done with the uniquely styled Huddlestone's contributions.

The competition should help to bring out the best in the 25-year-old midfielder. The ability is certainly there, hopefully his time on the sidelines will have him extremely eager to make the most of it and fulfill his tremendous potential.

Darren Fletcher

Darren Fletcher is not suffering from your run-of-the-mill injury, instead he is dealing with a bowel condition by the name of ulcerative colitis.

It was his and the Manchester United medical staff's decision to sit out the remainder of the current season, and whilst it will be something the Scottish international will have to deal with, it is manageable.

Great Britain's five-time Olympic gold medalist rower Sir Steve Redgrave told BBC's Radio 5 Live in December of how he was diagnosed shortly before the 1992 Barcelona Games, but still went onto win gold. His existing fitness aided him in dealing with the illness, and he has advised Fletcher on how he might manage his own condition.

Fletcher's return will give a boost to an already strong United squad for next season, one Sir Alex Ferguson will be grateful for in helping to share the load.

It could be a very interesting midfield he returns to as well. Michael Carrick has enjoyed a strong season and reiterated his use to the United cause, as has Paul Scholes, whilst Anderson and Tom Cleverley (and possibly Phil Jones if he is deployed there) will likely continue to seek a first-team place.

Ferguson, too, may look to bring in more creativity there, but even so, Fletcher looks strong even amongst these names. He brings a level of grit and tenacity perhaps lacking in some of his teammates but as far as his passing and attacking play is concerned, he is an underrated contributor there also.