Head of Medical and Sports Science Stijn Vandenbroucke issues an update – in association with Spire Roding Hospital...
Hello everybody,
The treatment room is less busy than it was a few weeks ago as we prepare to face our old manager Sam Allardyce this weekend. We do not have a lot of injuries at present and hopefully we can keep it that way.
We played four games in the space of eleven days over the Christmas and New Year period, with the second-lowest number of resting non-match days in the Premier League during that time. We also made the fewest number of changes to the team of any Premier League club.
James Collins returned to training with the squad this week and will be available for selection against Crystal Palace in the Premier League.
We are happy that Sam Byram and Reece Oxford returned in the Premier League 2 game against Norwich City on Monday and did well.
Domingos Quina, who has been in the first-team squad regularly in recent weeks, also came through well, while Ashley Fletcher got a goal and another positive 90 minutes under his belt, which is always good.
Diafra Sakho is continuing to recover from the back surgery he underwent in the week before Christmas.
Arthur Masuaku unfortunately injured his knee in training on 8 December. He works very hard and is a top professional. Unfortunately, there is no magic potion to instantly fix structures like the medial cruciate ligament (MCL) and we take the time needed to rehab and prepare him for the rest of the season.
Alvaro Arbeloa is still recovering from the calf injury he suffered in the Arsenal game on 2 December and is continuing his rehab.
Gokhan Tore is continuing his rehab with his parent club Besiktas in Istanbul after he underwent surgery on a significant knee injury.
Stijn Vandenbroucke
Head of Medical and Sports Science