Wednesday 22 March 2017 21:21, UK
Brentford's Alan Judge awaits a crucial meeting on his fitness almost a year to the day since he suffered an horrific double leg-break.
The 28-year-old midfielder will see a consultant in the next two weeks to determine whether he can step-up from ball-work to full contact training, having been sidelined by a challenge from Luke Hyam at Ipswich Town on April 9, 2016.
Judge, who was of interest to Newcastle and Sheffield Wednesday before his injury, sees his Brentford contract expire at the end of the season and Sky sources understand the club are open to discussing an extension if he can prove his fitness.
Brentford's head of medical Neil Greig said: "No time scale has been set for when Alan will be back to his norm. He needs to feel good in full training and have no side effects, and then, in consultation with the consultant, we will agree an appropriate time for him to return to first-team action.
"Alan has participated in all the team drills, small-sided games and possession drills with some protection. When he takes part in games he plays for both teams so he is not tackled. He is getting lots of football exposure, which will help as he moves on to the next stage in his rehabilitation.
"There is an appointment with his consultant in the next two weeks and at that point there will be a decision as to whether he can move on to full contact training or not. That appointment will be 12 months on from the injury.
"At the outset, the consultant told us the average recovery time for this injury is 12 months. Some players have come back in nine months while others are not as quick."
Judge was named in the Championship team of the season last term, despite his season ending a month early, having scored 14 goals in 40 appearances, and subsequently received his first Republic of Ireland call-up.
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