Former Arsenal striker Yaya Sanogo slams Middlesbrough for ‘bringing my career to a halt’ aged just 27

ARSENAL FA Cup winner Yaya Sanogo has slammed Middlesbrough for an alleged medical misdiagnosis that brought his “career to a halt”.

The French striker, now 31, spent four years with the Gunners after joining from Auxerre.

Even though he helped Arsene Wenger's side win the 2014 FA Cup, he only managed to score once in 20 appearances.

He was loaned out to the likes of Crystal Palace, Ajax and Charlton before eventually joining Toulouse in France in 2017.

But once Sanogo’s three-year contract there ended he looked set to return to English football - but instead he spent nearly a year without a club.

That was after a move to join Championship outfit Middlesbrough, who have been contacted for comment on the forward’s remarks, collapsed in 2020 due to a set of circumstances that he says made him want to retire.

Sanogo told : “All the details of the contract were tied up.

“It was during the Covid time, after I'd had three seasons with Toulouse.

“I went to Middlesbrough for my medical, and they claimed to have seen a problem with my shoulder that needed an operation and three months of rehab.

“So bang went my contract. It was a serious matter, and tough for me.

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“I went to see a shoulder specialist back in France. They told me I had no problems, and said the club had got it wrong.”

He continued: “It halted my progress, as other clubs thought that I was injured, and the media wrote that I had failed my medical.

“So the clubs that had shown interest in me believed these reports, and it brought my career to a complete halt. I was 27 at the time.

“I thought of quitting. I sometimes thought my career was dead.”

Sanogo went on to have spells with Huddersfield and Armenian club Urartu before moving to China four months ago.

Now he plays for Chinese second-tier club Qingdao Red Lions.

He added: “I had two offers, one from the Scottish Premiership and the other from the Chinese second division.

“I had spent my entire career in Europe, and wanted to go somewhere else for a new experience.

“Things are going well so far. We are well placed in the table.

“I arrived as the league's marquee signing, and fans turn up wearing Arsenal shirts at both home and away games.

“It's great to have that level of attention having come such a long way.”

Middlesbrough declined to comment.