The fragile career of a footballer has been highlighted this week by the terrible news that Luke Oliver is no longer part of City’s season.

While the rest of the team he has been such a big part of were preparing for their cup glory night at Wigan, the lanky centre half was in an operating theatre to repair his ruptured Achilles tendon.

The operation was a success but it will be a long while before Oliver is back up on his feet and moving freely again. And it could be up to nine months – the start of next pre-season – before he is ready to play competitive football again.

It’s not just the physical battle big Luke will have to overcome. The mental one can be even tougher.

Don’t forget this was the guy who started more games than any other player in the side last season. He is one of the key names on Phil Parkinson’s team sheet.

Only the other week, I was chatting with him about the hectic run of fixtures facing City and the prospect of playing extra games every Tuesday for a month.

Bring it on was effectively his reply, the more, the merrier – and it sure beats training.

We’d all swap lives in an instant for the chance to walk in a footballer’s shoes, playing the game we love and getting paid for it, and usually pretty handsomely.

But just imagine the lows of suddenly not being able to do it. In one instant, your regular involvement is swiped away only a third of the way into the season.

That must be very, very hard to deal with.

If City go on to achieve the success that everyone craves, then Oliver will have certainly played his part. But, depressingly for him, it will have only been a cameo.