Alan Curbishley has been handed a boost by the news that
Dean Ashton is close to completing his rehabilitation from the
broken ankle he sustained back in August.
The 23-year-old striker is set to finish his recovery and treatment
with the Club's physiotherapy team in the next couple of weeks
and will then move on to a period of one-to-one fitness work with
Head of Sports Medicine Niall Clark, leading up to his
eagerly-awaited return to full training.
"The ankle is feeling good and I have been very happy with how
things have gone recently," says Dean. "I've been
running and kicking a ball, which has been fantastic, and the
physios have been first class with me.
"It's now five months since I sustained the injury and, as
far as I am concerned, everything is on schedule and going to plan.
Now it's just a case of taking each day as it comes until I am
where I want to be.
"I'm not going to name a date for my return to full
training with the rest of the squad, but I'm feeling very
positive about the situation and I can see that I'm getting
closer to reaching my goal."
Head Physiotherapist Steve Allen says: "We have been delighted
with the progress that Dean has made recently, and he really has
stepped up his rehabilitation in the past couple of weeks.
"To see him running and kicking a ball freely is wonderful,
and we are now reaching the stage where he can really push on with
his fitness work in the next few weeks.
"His next step will be to work closely with Niall Clark and,
once he feels ready, we can look forward to seeing him back out
there on the training pitch with the rest of the squad."
Ashton making excellent progress
11th January 2007