Lincoln's Darikwa handed new deal after knee surgery

Tendayi Darikwa has featured 104 times for Lincoln since signing in the summer of 2024 [Getty Images] Injured Lincoln City defender Tendayi Darikwa has signed a new one-year deal with the club despite being ruled out for the season. The 34-year-old has undergone surgery on the anterior cruciate ligament he ruptured in what was their first home game back in the second-tier for 65 years in August. Darikwa will not feature again this term but the new deal means the experienced former Nottingham Forest and Wigan defender will get the chance to feature for the club again as his previous contract was due to expire next summer. He captained the Imps as they won promotion to the Championship as League One title-winners last season. Lincoln's sporting director Jez George said the new deal would allow the defender to "focus on his recovery" and eliminate the "stress of uncertainty" of his terms ticking down. "Tendayi's commitment and role in our achievements over the past two years speak for themselves, so it is clear to us that we cannot allow him to be out of contract before he is ready to return to team training next pre-season," George told the club website. All the latest Lincoln City news