MX23RW : Thursday, October 31 23:18:14| >> :120:3954:3954:

Scott Parker: 'Kevin McDonald has a big few months ahead'

Kevin McDonald was diagnosed with a kidney condition at the age of 18

Fulham manager Scott Parker has backed midfielder Kevin McDonald to come through his battle against a chronic kidney disease, which will see him have a transplant next month.

McDonald was diagnosed at the age of 18 and has been under doctors' orders throughout a playing career which has included 500 appearances for the likes of Dundee, Sheffield United and Wolves, with five international caps for Scotland.

The 32-year-old hopes to play again after his scheduled transplant in April, with friends and family having put themselves forward to become donors.

McDonald was left out of the Cottagers' two 25-man Premier League squads this season and was expected to leave the west London club on loan during January.

After going public with his news, McDonald will now focus on recovery, which Parker believes he will tackle with as much vigour as he did games on the pitch.

"He has been as good as gold, really. I spoke to Kev a few weeks ago regarding his situation," Parker said ahead of Thursday night's Premier League match against Tottenham.

"People at the club and myself have been aware of it, that there has been an issue for Kev for some time.

"In terms of when it would be needed for him to have that operation, it has come at this point."

Parker added: "He has got a big few months ahead of him. No doubt the way he is as a fella and what he is about, he will come out of this and hopefully be as good as ever.

"In terms of his decisions at the end of it, I still think he is not sure what he wants to do.

"But the main focus for Kev and everyone else is that he gets better after the operation and then decides what is best for him from there."

ID:437590: cacheID:437590:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:2777:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Nicola Sturgeon pictured in March 2020
Read Next:
Scottish football below Championship level set for imminent return
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Manchester CityMan City97202091123
2Liverpool97111751222
3Arsenal95311710718
4Aston Villa95311611518
5Chelsea95221911817
6Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton94411612416
7Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest9441117416
8Tottenham HotspurSpurs94141810813
9Brentford94141818013
10Fulham93331212012
11Bournemouth93331111012
12Newcastle UnitedNewcastle9333910-112
13West Ham UnitedWest Ham93241316-311
14Manchester UnitedMan Utd9324811-311
15Leicester CityLeicester92341317-49
16Everton92341016-69
17Crystal Palace9135611-56
18Ipswich TownIpswich9045920-114
19Wolverhampton WanderersWolves90271225-132
20Southampton9018619-131


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!