Ever since Ledley missed the run in to the 2005-2006 season, he has been plagued a new injury, so much so that some have mischievously suggested he would never play football again. The defender has rigorously scoffed at these suggestions but his fitness remains the clubs biggest headache going into the new season. King shares the frustration: "Of course I feel a bit frustrated now. It's been disappointing but there's nothing I can do about it apart from working hard to get back and then help the boys as much as I can."
King had knee surgery in June and it had first been thought that by putting off the surgery until the summer, Kings recovery would take just eight weeks. Martin Jol and the medical staff at the club have since had to revise that estimate, and thus the club saw the arrival of Auxerre's Younes Kaboul, the hulking French U-21 captain. Kaboul, who is seen as a much more reliable deputy for the injured King than Rocardo Rocha, has impressed during pre-season and the pressure will be on him to live up to the impressive standards set by Ledley. Whether he can or not remains to be seen but I'm sure many fans are hoping that King can ease the pressure off his French team mate by recovering as soon as possible.