Sam so grateful for chance of a Brewers return
SAM Hughes says his recovery from a cruciate ligament injury is on target – but that does not mean he is joining up with Burton Albion just yet.
The centre-half, signed on loan by Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink in the last week of the transfer window, still has several weeks of rehab to get through with parent club Leicester City.
He was the stand-out player for Burton on loan from Leicester in the first half of last season before sustaining the injury against Doncaster Rovers in December last year.
His departure led to the Brewers coneding 14 goals in three games – hastening the arrival of Hasselbaink to replace Jake Buxton.
But Hasselbaink was well aware of Hughes’ ability and spoke to Leicester early on about getting him back to the Pireli Stadium.
Hughes cannot wait – but knows he has to be patient.
“It’s all good, it’s going well and I’m ticking all the boxes,” he told the Brewers’ website.
“I’m around the eight-month mark now since I did it but, to be honest, up to this point, I haven’t had many real difficulties.
“It’s just about carrying on trying to hit the targets which have been set to get back as quick as I possibly can.
“I will remain at Leicester for the next five or six weeks.
“I’m just about back to no-contact training and providing all goes well, I’ll get back to full contact training.
“And that’s the point when the transition will happen and I will come back here and start training.”
Hughes says he was grateful for
Burton’s renewed interest, especially as it came from a different manager.
“First and foremost, I’m very lucky, after suffering such a bad injury as I did, to have a club that still wanted to bring me in,” he said.
“Last year, I couldn’t have loved my time any more than I did.
“It was a difficult period for the club in terms of where we sat in the league and results on the pitch but, overall, I enjoyed it.
“There are good people here and it’s something I wanted to be a part of.
“Coming back was about the feel I got for the club when I first arrived here – how people were with me and the general overall feel of the club.
“Not all the lads who are here were here then but it’s still a good group.
“As much as I’m eager to get back playing, you can’t rush type of injury.
“I have to take each day as it comes and, over time, over the next couple of months, I’m sure I’ll get back to full fitness and then I can hope to catch the gaffer’s eye and get back to playing again.”