Nathan Cleary has issued a touching note to Mary Fowler after the Matildas star underwent surgery to repair a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament injury last week.
Fowler is the latest women’s football star to suffer the agonising injury and is expected to be out for around a year with the issue, with her Australia team-mate Sam Kerr still yet to make a return to action after she suffered an ACL tear in January 2024.
Manchester City confirmed the news that Fowler had also suffered a ruptured knee ligament on April 16.
The Aussie forward limped off the field during her side’s Women’s FA Cup defeat by rivals Manchester United two weeks ago.
Fowler could now be a doubt for the Asia Cup in March 2026, but the footballer, who has enjoyed a strong season with City in the Women’s Super League and also scored for Australia in their recent 2-0 victory against South Korea, is staying positive about the challenge that lies ahead of her.
‘Iām really disappointed to be facing some time out of the game,’ Fowler said. ‘Itās never easy when something like this happens especially when youāve been working so hard and feeling good. The road ahead will be challenging, but Iām ready to take it on.’
Mary Fowler shared more snaps of her recovery from an ACL injury on Tuesday, having undergone surgery last week
Her boyfriend Nathan Cleary (right) published a cute note on Fowler’s Instagram postĀ
Fowler had also shared a snap of her leg wrapped in a compression bandage as she walked down the street on crutchesĀ
‘Thereās still so much I want to achieve, and Iāll be using this time to grow in every way I can. Iām committed to doing the work, staying positive and coming back better than ever.
‘I want to say a big thank you to everyone whoās sent messages or checked in – itās honestly meant so much. The support from my teammates, family, friends and fans has been a real lift and reminded me how lucky I am to be surrounded by such a strong network.’
Last week, the footballer shared several snaps of herself following a surgical procedure to remedy the injury, walking down the road in crutches, while also posting a picture on her Instagram of herself wearing a hospital gown.
On Tuesday, the Manchester City star shared several pictures of herself walking down the street using crutches.
In one of the snaps, the 22-year-old, who has scored six goals in the Women’s Super League this season, was seen wearing a compression bandage on her right leg as she walked down the road.
She captioned the photos: ‘Making my way downtown walking like a tortoise’.
Cleary replied to the post: ‘What a beautiful tortoise.’
Australia team-mate Steph Catley also showed her support for Fowler, commenting a ‘love heart’ emoji and a ‘strong arm’ emoji.
Cleary had previously shown his support for his beau Fowler, after he appeared to publish an image of himself wearing one of Fowler’s Matildas jerseys
Fowler is remaining positive about her recovery and said she was gunning to come back better than ever
Fowler and Cleary had recently been pictured back in Australia after the Man City star had flown back Down Under for the Matildas’ friendlies against South Korea
Fowler and Cleary had recently been pictured back in Australia after the Man City star had flown back Down Under for the Matildas’ friendlies against South Korea.
She and Cleary were pictured enjoying a romantic day out in Sydney, as they cuddled and embraced at Redleaf Pool in Sydney’s eastern suburbs.
The Aussie sporting power couple have been able to catch up fairly regularly in recent months, despite Fowler and Cleary living 17,000km apart.
In March, Cleary and his Penrith side travelled to Las Vegas to take on Cronulla Sharks in the opening round of the NRL season.
While there, he was able to make a fleeting visit down to the West Coast of America, to catch up with Fowler in San Diego. At the time, the Matildas star had been playing in the She Believes Cup.
Fowler’s injury, though, is yet another huge blow for City, who have been without several stars this year already.
Alex Greenwood, Lauren Hemp and Risa Shimizu have all been absent for extended periods this season with knee injuries.
Vivianne Miedema and Khadija Shaw have also been sidelined with hamstring problems.
