AJ’s eyeing return after knee injury
AJ MacGinty is targeting a return to action next month for Sale Sharks.
The fly-half was stretchered off during the 30-29 Premiership win over Harlequins last month, with fears he had suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament injury.
Scans, however, revealed the Irish-American had instead damaged his medial collateral ligament.
Now, the 27-year-old is stepping up his rehabilitation and hopes to be back for next month’s visit of Worcester Warriors to the AJ Bell Stadium.
“My leg just got caught up in a ruck towards the end of the Quins game and someone fell on it,” MacGinty told the club’s website.
“I heard a pop straight away and I knew it was pretty bad but, thankfully, it wasn’t as serious as I feared.
“It was painful but the thoughts that were going through my head were that it could be serious.
“If it had been the ACL, that wouldn’t have borne thinking about so I was just very fortunate the scans showed that the ACL was still intact - instead it was a grade-three MCL injury which doesn’t require surgery.
“Fortunately I’m on the mend. I got an injection last week and it’s feeling really good this week.
“Initially, I was told to have the knee in a brace for six weeks - I’ve pretty much got through that period now and I am walking without it and it’s feeling good.
“I go back to see the specialist next week and, hopefully, I’ll get some more positive news from him.
“Originally I was told I would be out for between 10 and 12 weeks but I’m obviously going to push to get back playing as quickly as I can as it’s tough there working in the gym every day!
“I’m about to hit that phase of hitting the watt-bikes now so I’m not really looking forward to that, but it’s just the way it goes - it could be a tough few weeks for me but I’ve just got to get through it.
“I probably won’t be back for this block of four Premiership games which starts on Saturday but we then have a two-week break and that gives me more time to get right and then, hopefully, I’ll be able to come back right into those last five league games.”