Michael van Gerwen hopeful of Premier League return in Glasgow
World champion and world No 1 expects Premier League return
Wednesday 8 March 2017 15:20, UK
Michael van Gerwen expects to return to the Premier League in Glasgow on Thursday.
The Dutch ace missed last week's Premier League night in Exeter and the weekend's UK Open due to a back injury.
But after receiving intensive treatment over the past week, Van Gerwen says that he is aiming to return and continue his Premier League title defence against Kim Huybrechts at The SSE Hydro.
"I was gutted to miss out on both the Premier League night and the UK Open, but it is just one of those things," said Van Gerwen on his official website.
"It's just a minor back injury. The kind of thing that can happen to anyone but something you have to be careful with.
"My heart said to go and play because I love playing and winning, but my head listened to the advice from medical experts, who said it would be better not to travel.
"It's feeling better each day and right now the plan is to play on Thursday in the Premier League, and I'm really looking forward to it."
Van Gerwen missed out on his quest to win a hat-trick of UK Open titles with Peter Wright capitalising on his rival's absence to claim the trophy for the first time.
"I also want to say congratulations to Peter Wright on winning his first big TV title," added Van Gerwen. "I think he deserved one but I told him not to get used to it."
Van Gerwen is unbeaten following his first four Premier League games of the season, and will play his rescheduled match against James Wade, which would have taken place in Exeter, when the event visits Manchester on March 23.
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