Nathan Cleary has broken his silence from his hospital bed after undergoing surgery for his sickening ankle injury suffered in Sunday’s preliminary final loss against the Newcastle Knights.

The Penrith superstar had surgery on a confirmed compound fracture of his tibia and fibula in his left leg.

He posted an emotional Instagram update, thanking supporters and vowing to return to the field, giving two thumbs up in a photo.

‘Surgery done… Thank you so much to everyone that has reached out, the support has been unbelievable.’

Cleary admitted the previous day had been one of the toughest of his career as he began processing the setback.

‘Yesterday sucked but it’s all part of the journey and it’s made me even more grateful for the people I have around me.’

Penrith Panthers star Nathan Cleary shared an encouraging Instagram post after undergoing surgery on his badly broken leg

He ended his message with a promise: ‘I’ll be back.’

The update confirmed his surgery had finished, although he did not provide details about the procedure.

He also gave no timeframe for his return to rugby league.

His message focused on gratitude for the people supporting him through the ordeal.

Cleary said the response since his injury had been ‘unbelievable’.

Several club sources told The Sydney Morning Herald it was the worst leg break they had seen, while team medics helped paramedics keep his leg straight immediately after the injury, over fears of the blood supply being cut off to his left foot. 

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