Bolton's Wilkinson eyes return to Spireites training, Graham can recover from ACL injury again
Just six weeks after suffering a serious knee injury, Bolton forward Conor Wilkinson is eyeing a return to training with local club Chesterfield.
The rangy frontman, who netted four times in seven games after his September arrival at the Proact, could rejoin the Spireites next week according to manager Danny Wilson.
He said: “He’s fine, we’re hoping he’ll be back training with us next week.
“Not to play, but to assess him again and his fitness levels.”
The loan was agreed until January, although Wilson has previously said there was scope to extend the deal.
Today the manager said there was ‘definitely’ a chance the 21-year-old could feature for Town again this season.
It was in the game against Southend on 15th October that Wilkinson damaged his knee and he was expected to miss around three months of the season.
Another player suffering a serious knee injury is Liam Graham, the New Zealand international likely to be out for the rest of the 2016/17 campaign.
Wilson said it’s ‘heartbreaking’ for the 24-year-old, having just broken into the Chesterfield first team set-up and been called up for international action.
But ACL problems can be overcome, as Graham himself has proved.
“For a young boy to suffer that type of injury is heartbreaking from their point of view,” he said.
“But the one thing I’ll say about him, he’s had one before and come back from it. Not only come back from it, he’s made his league debut in spite of it, having it done.
“One of those a few years ago was a career threatening injury but nowadays it’s not, it’s a run of the mill injury that specialists are really on top of and the high percentage of boys return and carry on as normal is brilliant.
“That’s what he can look forward to.”