Further news on Thomas Holmes and his impending Rotherham United return
ROTHERHAM United loanee Holmes could be back on the grass at Roundwood as soon as next week, says manager Matt Hamshaw.
The Advertiser revealed yesterday that the centre-half, who made a huge impact in his sole appearance in early September, is ahead of schedule in his recovery from a knee issue and is due to be available again at some stage next month.
In a new update today, Hamshaw confirmed that the 25-year-old is set to be working outdoors the club's training complex after this weekend's FA Cup tie with Swindon Town.
“It was an injury to the outside of his knee,” Hamshaw said. “I'm not a medic, so I won't go into exactly where it is, but it's very, very rare for a footballer to get that.
“"We thought that it might be longer than 12 weeks, but he's potentially back on the grass next week. I don't want to put too much pressure on Thomas, or us, or my medical team, but we're trying to do everything right so we can progress him and get him back in a Rotherham United shirt as soon as we can.”
The Luton Town man picked up the problem in a stunning debut when he played a huge part in Rotherham's 1-0 League One home triumph over Exeter City.
He has since divided his time between Luton and the Millers as he's gone through his rehabilitation.
Holmes wouldn't be eligible to play against his parent side on November 15, a match that may be postponed because of international call-ups.
That leaves the trip to former club Reading a week later as a possible date for his re-introduction in the matchday 18.
Hamshaw is stressing that Rotherham will take no risks with the player as he eases back into the frame.
“It's positive in the fact that he should be on the grass a lot quicker than we anticipated,” the boss said. “At the same time, we don't know how he's going to react on the grass.
“He's doing everything he possibly can to get back fit and playing for the club. We'll just see. As always, you don't want to rush these things. However, he's a big player for us. “I know he's had only one game – so it sounds really weird saying he's a big player for us – but I think you saw his leadership skills. The lads felt that.”