Gordon set for early return
training field doing conditioned goalkeeping just now, not full sessions. He will start that with me when I got back next Wednesday and that should be the start of his final end stage rehab.
“Obviously when you get injured the first thing you think ‘is this the season over?’ and the answer straight away was no.
“Although it was his ‘bad knee’ if you like, it was a new and unique injury to that knee and it doesn’t have any sort of bearing on anything that went before, which means it is very simple for them to fix it.
“Initially he was given a 12-week prognosis and it is looking like he will be back between nine and 10 weeks to full training, so well down to the physios and doctors that have been involved and got him back a couple of weeks early.”
Boss Brendan Rodgers had to make a late swoop in the transfer market to cover for the loss of Gordon as Scott Bain arrived on loan until the end of the season.
The 26-year-old has featured against Rangers and Motherwell since replacing Dorus de Vries between the sticks.
He could soon have a fight on his hands at Parkhead but, when asked if Bain could make a push for a Scotland spot once again, Woods said: “Yes. There is obviously only one spot there. You see with David Marshall that it is very difficult to select someone that is behind Allan McGregor at his club. It is very difficult to pick someone that is behind in a Scottish situation.
“It is so much easier to be picked for your national team if you are playing every single week, not just playing behind somebody that is playing well.
“You put yourself in pole position if you are playing and the higher the level you can play at and play well that is obviously reflective on how you are assessed.”