Dale defender Rhys Bennett has taken another step forward in his recovery from the knee injury he sustained last season.
The 21-year-old who has been sidelined since damaging his knee during the League Two encounter against Bristol Rovers in March has joined up with Rochdale’s Youth Team as he undergoes the final stages of his rehabilitation.
Bennett has put in a lot of hard work during the summer as he battled back from the injury and Dale physio Andy Thorpe says he is now getting his rewards. He told www.rochdaleafc.co.uk: “The injury Rhys had was serious. He tore his posterior cruciate ligament which is bad enough on its own, but not only that, he also tore his medial ligament and he damaged his cartilage as well, so that three major problems that he suffered.
“The surgeon said at best that he’d be out for four months and that was increased to seven months at worst, but after four months he’s training with the Youth Team and he’s doing really well. We’re letting him go through the last stages of his recovery with the Youth Team so he can control what he’s doing rather than going full out."
He continued: "When you’ve had an operation and everything has settled down then it is up to me to give him a programme and for him to do the work that I give him. We’ve been in three times a week during the close season and he has been up and down the steps in the stands, we’ve been doing a lot of work on the muscles around the knee and he has worked really hard.
"He’s still not match fit but he’s not far off it. His work is now paying off and he is getting his rewards.”