Defender could be back this season
Neal Ardley said that Will Nightingale could return to training with the rest of the squad by late March after stepping up his recuperation in recent weeks.
The 20-year-old suffered a serious knee injury in September after making an impressive first-team start to 2015/16.
He has been working hard on his fitness with AFC Wimbledon Sports Scientist Jason Moriarty and Neal issued a positive bulletin about Nightingale’s progress during an interview for Dons Player.
“We are just stepping Will up every week,” said Neal. “He has to build up the muscles around his knee to make sure they are strong. He is doing straight-line running, a lot of cardiovascular work, and stuff in the gym. With a bit of luck at the end of this month, he might be able to come into training. But with Will you are always worried when he puts himself up against other players because he is such a brave lad.”
Neal also added that Karleigh Osborne’s knee injury may not be as bad as first feared. The experienced defender injured both his posterior cruciate ligament and his medial ligament recently.
“There might be some good news with Karleigh and it might end up with him not needing an operation,” said Neal. “The surgeon said it is knitting together quite well and he feels it might heal without requiring an operation, which would be great news for Karleigh.”
All at AFC Wimbledon wish both players well in their recuperations.
Neal Ardley’s full interview ahead of tonight’s match against Northampton features on Dons Player, along with an interview with Jon Meades.