Prem hero had ‘tendons hanging out’ after punching through dressing room window

Fulham cult hero Clint Dempsey’s tendon was left “hanging out” after he punched through a glass window.

The Cottagers enjoyed a historic Europa League cup run in the 2009/10 season. Dempsey had been nailed on to start up-front in the semi-final fixture against Hamburg due to Bobby Zamora ruling himself out with an injury.

But the American was left gutted as Zamora made himself available for the starting line-up at the last minute, meaning Dempsey would have to start on the bench for one of the biggest games of his career.

And news of being dropped did not go down well with Dempsey, who entered the dressing room in a rage after a conversation with manager Roy Hodgson. The USA international headed straight to his corner and punched a thick glass window, causing himself a shocking injury.

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Speaking on the Fulham Fix podcast, team-mate at the time Danny Murphy said: “He just went up to it and hit it,” gesturing with his fist.

“Next thing you know, the glass has shattered. His thumb and his finger and his tendon are hanging out. I was like ‘Ah God, what is happening here’. And I felt his pain.

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“I wouldn’t have punched a window but I would have been fuming too. His head had gone.”

In another interview, Murphy revealed how Dempsey’s Fulham team-mates and even Hodgson were left speechless after seeing his reaction. They attempted to calm down the Texan before the club doctor stitched up his hand.

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Stunningly, Hodgson kept Dempsey in the match-day squad despite the lack of discipline shown in his outburst. He even went on to make an appearance as a substitute on the hour mark against Hamburg, coming on for Zamora to help see out a 2-1 win.

Murphy added that he actually respected Dempsey in light of the incident, saying: "It showed the passion in the man. I loved that. Clint got his success by having that mentality.”

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