Joel Cooper will undergo surgery on both knees, the Coleraine forward has confirmed, bringing to light the physical toll he carried through the latter stages of the season and into the club's Irish Cup triumph.
According to the BBC, Cooper played through the pain barrier to contribute to Coleraine's cup success before the full extent of his condition became clear. The decision to operate on both knees points to a recovery period that will shape his involvement in the early months of next season.
That Cooper continued to feature despite requiring surgery on both joints speaks to the demands of a cup run in which the stakes left little room for caution. Irish Cup campaigns compress fixture schedules and heighten physical attrition, and the forward's willingness to continue under those circumstances will not have gone unnoticed at the club.
Coleraine are one of the more established clubs in the Irish Premiership, and Cooper has been a consistent presence in their forward line. A surgery of this nature — affecting both knees rather than one — will require careful management during rehabilitation, and the club will be mindful of not rushing a player who has clearly been prepared to put the team's needs ahead of his own.
No timeline for his return has been confirmed at this stage. The priority now will be the procedures themselves and the structured recovery that follows, with any projection about his availability for pre-season or the opening fixtures of the new campaign remaining premature.