PREMIER League and England star Declan Rice has sent his well wishes to a local non-league footballer currently sidelined with an ACL injury.

James Shorey, a central midfielder for Wessex Premier Brockenhurst, was told that he may have to wait up to two years to wait for surgery on the NHS.

With the club since the age of 10, 21-year-old Shorey had grabbed three goals in 20 appearances this campaign, playing a part in the Badgers' deep run to the last 16 of the FA Vase and their push for promotion.

Rather than let a promising footballer sit on the sidelines, Brock chairman Chris Panayi stated “as a club we couldn’t allow him to have that wait time”.

Shorey underwent surgery earlier this week, with Baz Cox setting up a crowd fundraiser in order to pay for the procedure.

As of writing, £1,285 has already been raised out of a total goal of £7,000.

Brock also shared an update on their Twitter page, saying: “Some positive news on James Shorey, who yesterday had his operation, which went very successfully.

“He is now hopefully on the road to recovery. I'm sure he will appreciate your messages of support too.”

The video message was arranged by West Ham fan Cox, who shared Rice’s message on Twitter.

In the short clip, West Ham wonder Rice states: “I just want to wish you well. I’ve heard you’ve done your ACL, just wanted to wish you all the best with your recovery.”

Brockenhurst return to action this weekend as they host Portchester in the Wessex Prem. Pat McManus’ men have garnered 64 points from 29 matches, with the Badgers currently occupying third place in the table.

If you would like to donate towards the costs of Shorey’s surgery, you can do so by following this link: https://gofund.me/0defe0bf