It’simportant we don’t rush Benarous back from his ACL injury, says Pearson

NIGEL Pearson has confirmed Ayman Benarous is back on the grass on his long road to recovery but Bristol City will remain understandably cautious with his comeback given the reoccurrence of his ACL injury.

The academy product suffered a devastating setback in December when he ruptured his ACL for a second time as he closed in on his long-awaited return to action, keeping him out for the rest of the season.

Benarous made his breakthrough into the first team during the 202122 campaign with his debut coming as a substitute in the 2-1 victory over Barnsley in October 2021. The Bristolian, who has a contract until 2025, went on to make 11 league appearances before rupturing his ACL during a training session at the High Performance Centre 13 months ago.

With centre-back Rob Atkinson out until around November, missing the start of next season as he recovers from an ACL injury, Pearson didn’t want to put a timeline on Benarous’ potential return. Asked for an update on his situation in his pre-match press conference, the manager responded: “He’s back out on the grass again so he’s in his rehab and he’s coping very well. Of course, with an injury like that when he’s done it twice now, as he gets closer to nearing full fitness, I suppose the nerves will kick in a little bit.

“But we do everything the best we can to ensure he’s well placed to make a full comeback as possible. It’s been a tough time for him as with most of these injuries, when they happen they’re quite innocuous and he looked fine when he came back from the first one. He just ruptured it not doing a lot.

“It’s difficult for him but we’ll support him as much as we can. I can’t give you an absolute date with him but it’s important we don’t rush him.”