Milton Keynes Dons women's vice-captain Annaliza Jacovides has put out an appeal to help fund a knee operation to save her career. The 22-year-old suffered the injury against Luton Town in September and after a spell in the sidelines, returned to the action for the latter part of the campaign as the side finished eighth in the FA Women's National League Division One South East. Shortly after suffering the injury, Jacovides had an MRI scan where it revealed she had a hole in the cartilage in her knee. Despite several months of rehab, Jacovides remained in pain during her return in the game at Fulham in March, prompting another scan where doctors revealed the issue was still there, and that surgery would be the best course of action. Jacovides said: 'The only chance I have of playing football again is through a procedure called microfracture surgery. I didn't want to believe it was anything serious, and I found it really hard to accept that I could potentially be out for a long period. 'I'd never experienced a serious injury before, so I didn't know what to expect. The problem was that this type of injury does not heal on its own. 'Those who know me will know that becoming a footballer is my dream. I've dedicated countless hours to training and the gym, always putting in the work and doing everything I can to achieve this goal. 'Football means everything to me, and I can't imagine my life without it. At 22-years-old, I'm not ready to give it up. I want to give myself the chance to play again, and surgery is the only way to do that. 'Following the operation, it will be around six weeks before I can bear weight on my leg again and approximately six months before I can return to playing football.' The operation is scheduled to take place next month, and Jacovides is asking for donations towards the surgery which will cost her around £7,000. She continued: 'If I don't have the surgery, I'll never be able to play football again. I've dedicated my life to this game. I work part-time as a bartender to allow myself the flexibility to do extra training, additional gym work, and get the right amount of sleep. 'While I was playing, I sacrificed money, free time, and time with family and friends in order to build my life around my dream of becoming a professional footballer. But if I can't have this surgery, that dream ends here.'