By FRANCO PANIZO
Stuart Holden has made his way back to Bolton Wanderers, but that does not mean that his return to the field is impending.
Despite returning to his club this past Sunday and sitting with traveling supporters as it took on Wigan Athletic at DW Stadium, Holden is not close to making a return to practice in the near future. The 28-year-old midfielder – who has been plagued by injuries since 2010 – is currently recovering from a torn ACL in his right knee that was sustained during the 2013 Gold Cup final back in July and Trotters manager Dougie Freedman says it will probably take another two months before Holden can begin training again.
“If we’re being honest, he’s still got a long way to go,” Freedman told Bolton’s official website. “Don’t expect to see him out on the pitch in the coming weeks, but knowing Stuart and his mentality, he’s working as hard as he possibly can to get back out there.
“The plan is pretty straightforward. Stuart is back over here to spend a few weeks with our medical guys. We’ll see where he is, and then he’ll head back to the US to continue his rehabilitation. The main reason for that is because he’s already started his rehab work over there. The weather is also better for him to work in. Once he has made significant progress on that front, probably about six to eight weeks, he’ll then come back to us to step up the work on the football side of things.”
The timetable for recovery does not completely rule out Holden from making the U.S. Men’s National Team roster for next summer’s World Cup, but it does make it extremely difficult given the short window he will have to return to form and receive minutes.
Holden was recently stateside, serving as a coach in the Brian Ching Testimonial Match at BBVA Compass Stadium this past Friday.
Through 20 matches, Bolton currently sit in 16th place in the Championship.
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What do you think of the timeframe for Holden returning to Bolton training? Think it is too late for him to make a serious push at the U.S.’s World Cup roster? Still cannot believe how much bad luck he has had in recent years?
Share your thoughts below.