Top Stories

Holden to make return with Bolton reserves Tuesday

  StuartHolden (Reuters)

U.S. men's national team midfielder Stuart Holden has been sidelined since suffering a major injury with Bolton back in March, but he's on te verge of returning to action after five months on the shelf.

Holden will take part in Bolton's reserve match against Fulham on Tuesday, with an eye toward a potential Premier League return on Sept. 10th against Manchester United, the same club he faced when he was injured in March.

One of the most impressive midfielders in the Premier League before being injured, Holden will look to regain his place in Bolton's midfield, which will mean a major step toward a potential return to the U.S. national team.

Holden has been training with the Bolton first team for the past week, more than a month ahead of schedule in his rehabilitation from the hairline condyle fracture he suffered on an ugly tackle from Manchester United defender Johnny Evans. The injury required Holden to have pins inserted in his knee to help speed up the healing process, a process that was expected to take six months or more. Holden's recovery is ahead of schedule and he will now return to action on Tuesday.

What do you think of this development? Excited to see him make it back? Think he can help Bolton turn things around? Anxious to see him back in the national team mix?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. I just thought your joke was really small-minded and offensive and I wanted to let you know. I live in Thailand and we have many orphanages full of kids who are born with the disease. It’s not as easy to ignore the reality of it out here. It looks like a lot of other guys thought your joke was great though, and one obviously bright individual even has a cure for AIDS, so I guess things are looking up.

    Reply
  2. The question shouldnt be where does Stu fit into the team with a crowded midfield, it should be who is going to sit on the bench and watch him play. he is a better player than any of the midfielders you mentioned, whether its defensive, attacking, or out wide, he would be an improvement over any of those guys. Not that i dont like those guys, but before he got hurt, he was at a different level. But i think he should be a play maker central midfield role. he passes and tackles well.

    Reply
  3. Stuart Holden = Scottish-born, American-bred former MLS Houston Dynamo, current EPL Bolton Wanderers midfielder; = inch-perfect crosses and delivery on set pieces; = tenacious but clean tackling and ball winning; = EPL’s “First Eleven” at midfield for the first-half of last season; = Bolton’s Player Of the Year last year, *as voted on by their players*, even though he missed the last dozen or so matches.

    Reply
  4. Mixed feelings about this. Of course I’m delighted that he is coming back, allegedly ahead of schedule, but whenever I hear, “ahead of schedule,” I have a nagging, dreadful feeling that he may be rushing it, and pushing too hard on peripheral connective tissue, etc. But bone injuries do heal stronger than soft tissue injuries, so it’s quite possible that his accelerated recovery is legit.

    Reply
  5. You hit the nail squarely on the head, Bryan. When Stu gets back to USMNT fitness, I believe he gets inserted right at the top of the pecking order for corners & other set pieces.

    It’ll still be LD for PKs, tho’.

    Reply

Leave a Comment