WHERE WOULD THEY BE IF IT WEREN'T FOR INJURIES?

THESE PLAYERS HAVE BEEN PLAGUED BY INJURIES BUT HOW FAR WOULD THEY BE NOW?

Injuries are part of the game and can't be avoided, long term injuries and short term injuries. I'd like to think that everyone's body reacts differently to an injury and some take a longer time recovering than others. 

In the world of football we've seen a number of players retire due to injuries they just can't overcome, Owen Hargreaves for example. The former Bayern Munich and Manchester United star quit the game at the age of 31 back in 2012. He only managed 27 league appearances in four seasons at United, a period in which Hargreaves was riddled with tendonitis and knee injuries.

It's a shame to see great players having to retire due to niggling injuries they can't shake off no matter how hard they train or work on it. So I've put up a list of players that I feel would be exceptional players today if it weren't for injury problems.

• Marco Reus

Reus has it all, pace, technique, dribbling skills, set-piece specialist and the ability to strike the ball from distance. To add to that he is versatile, operating out on the flanks, behind the striker or even as a lone striker and in all positions he is effective.

He missed the World Cup in Brazil and what a pity it was as I was looking forward to seeing my favorite player in the world mix it up with the very best. Only 25 years of age, he definitely has another World Cup or two under his belt, and the chance to claim his spot amongst the world's finest.

There's no doubt in anyone's mind that Marco Reus would be a world beater by now. Yes, in some way he is but I'm talking about being compared with the worlds best Ronaldo and Messi, that's how good I think the German really is. 

A fit Reus would fall into my top 5 players today. I see him joining a bigger club in the near future, maybe Real Madrid if all the rumors of Bale leaving are to be believed, then he'll fit into the position seamlessly, or Wenger could sign him as a replacement for Walcott which will be a massive upgrade.

• Robin Van Persie

Robin Van Persie, this guy needs no introduction really, if you're a lover of the English Premier League you definitely know what RVP is all about. He's deadly left foot stands out from the rest and his awareness and attacking positioning is up their with the very best.

RVP has only managed to put in two good seasons, his final season at Arsenal and he's first at United, other than that the he's been plagued with injuries every other season, which is a shame for such a talent.

Unlike Reus, he was available for Oranje at the World Cup and did impress, helping them to a third place finish. At 31 years he doesn't have a whole lot left to play, and he will definitely be cursing and wondering why he had so many injury problems at a young age.

Injuries aside, I believe Van Persie is a deadly finisher just like Messi and Zlatan and no question one of the world's top 10 strikers when fit. Unfortunately for RVP, time is not his friend and I don't see him joining another big club, a return to Feyenoord is looming for the flying Dutchman.

• Alex Pato

Once tagged as the 'new Ronaldo', Alex Pato has found the going tough at a very young age. He has the talent to be a world class player but recurring injury problems has set him back a mile from where he began. He has the pace or rather use too, trickery and finishing ability to be a feared striker. So why did AC Milan and Brazil give up on him so quickly?

His recurring muscle injuries eventually contributed to his departure from the Milanese giants to Corinthians. He now plays for Sao Paulo in Brazil. Only 25 years, Pato has time on his side to make things right given he can shake off his injury problems.

He is still young and can return to Europe one day, the Premier League in my opinion. He is becoming a disappointment but hopefully he can put his problems behind him and rise to stardom once again. A side like Southampton could do with his services or even Spurs or Everton to provide competiton for Kane and Lukaku.

• Thomas Vermaelen 

Thomas Vermaelen stormed into the Arsenal side after being signed from Ajax and my word wasn't he exceptional in his first season. His aggression and 'tough boy' persona looked every bit what Wenger and Arsenal needed in their backline not to mention the screamers he scored against Blackburn in his first season. 

Things went from perfect to absolutely terrible for the Belgium in his second season. Injury after injury and the signing of Per Mertesacker didn't make it easier for him. Koscielny had upstaged him as Arsenal's first choice center back and was forming a formidable partnership with Per.

If he wasn't warming the bench then he was injured, Arsenal decided to offload him to Barcelona where his injury problems look to have followed him from the Emirates treatment table to the Camp Nou. 

I was a big fan of Vermaelen when he joined Arsenal and maybe I still am, I'll have to figure that out though. He is fast approaching 30 and being at Barcelona isn't doing him any favors at all. He'll most probably be shipped out to a lesser club in the summer, a more mid-table side or even Europa side.

• Arjen Robben

Another Dutchman on the list who has had an injury plagued career, but kudos to Robben when he plays he rarely fails to put on a show for Bayern, be it scoring, dancing his way past defenders or even diving, he always manages to be the center of attention.

He is probably the one person on the list excluding Marco Reus who looks to have made it with all his injury problems. He is part of a Bayern side that have won it all really, and at the age of 31 he probably has one more season left in Bayern before he departs.

He can't go higher than that Robben, he has done it all. He'll most probably be returning to the Netherlands to finish off what has been a successful career.

• Jack Wilshere

England's Iniesta, Jack Wilshere is a lad with loads of talent but he is too injury prone for my liking. His close control and ability to navigate his way in tight areas is a plus, and when on form he can be fun to watch. 

Not too long ago he made Xavi and Iniesta look like fools at the Emirates, beating them in their own game, and that's the Wilshere Arsenal fans love to watch and have been hoping to get him back to his very best. After his injury, things went a bit downhill for him, but the ship hasn't sunk yet for the Englishman. He does put in good performances from time to time but he's too inconsistent.

At only 23 years, I don't see Wenger giving up on him and personally I wouldn't want to see him leave the Emirates. The fact that Arsenal have a plethora of creative midfielders competing for limited spots, should do Wilshere good as maybe a bit of competition from the likes of Ramsey, Cazorla, Ozil, Chamberlain and Rosicky will get him performing at his best.

Wilshere seems like an Arsenal main stay, I don't see him leaving and with Rosicky, Cazorla and Arteta already at the 30 years mark, he has a future here and I believe Wenger sees that as well.

• Abou Diaby

Abou Diaby has had the worst injury record of any player I have seen in my time, at times you even forget he exists. The 'new Vieira' he was suppose to be, and I'm sure he would have if it hadn't been for such a horrid injury record. He is back fit for now, but let's wait and see how long he'll stay fit.

He is one of my favorites, he has the ability to control proceedings in the middle of the park just ask Liverpool fans. He's greatest game ever came against Liverpool a couple of seasons ago in a 2-0 victory. Diaby was a beast in that match, dictating the flow of the game from the get go.

For Diaby we can only hope he stays fit because he is a class act. It's a shame he has spent more time in the treatment table than on the field. He is probably the spine Arsenal have always needed but due to so many injuries Wenger hasn't been able to deploy him as he would have liked.

If Diaby wasn't so injury prone and at the peak of his game, I don't think he would have been in Arsenal now. I'm sure a club like PSG would have already snapped him up for about 30Mil pounds. Wenger seems to have so much faith in him, so I see him staying put for another couple of seasons before he departs.