OPINION
Newcastle United defender Florian Lejeune has returned to full training after missing all of the season so far and his return is definitely an early Christmas present for Rafa Benitez.
The Magpies’ official Twitter account shared a picture of the 27-year-old centre-back being back in action ahead of his side’s clash with Burnley on Monday night.
Lejeune was one of Benitez’s best performers last season as he was able to be trusted to ensure his side regularly registered clean sheets in the 24 appearances he made.
The centre-back, who earns £38,000-a-week at St James Park (Source: Spotrac), will be able to make the Magpies even more secure at the back this season to make Premier League survival easier but there is a risk regarding him returning.
Lejeune has effectively defied the odds to get back to full training as quickly as he has as he did suffer knee ligament damage which normally keeps a player out for up to nine months at times.
Johnny Wilson, a medical expert and former head of physiotherapy at Scunthorpe United, previously told the Chronicle that players who return too soon from an injury like Lejeune increase the chances of the injury reoccurring.
“The longer you leave before you return to training and playing, the lower the risk of re-injury – but you can never eradicate the risk entirely when you go back to play such a dynamic sport as football,” Wilson told the paper.
“If a player has had a knee-ligament injury, there is a decent chance of them sustaining another one, and there are numerous high-profile examples of players who have had multiple ACL injuries.”
Therefore Benitez must use Lejeune at his peril as it stands, because if he deploys him back into his first-team plans too soon, he could soon lose him to injury for a significant period once again.
The Magpies boss should also be wary about opening this clear gift as the Magpies have several centre-backs doing well at the moment and he won’t want to disrupt his side’s rhythm given that they’ve started racking up positive results.
With this all in mind while the talented Lejeune’s return to training means he is close to being in contention once again, Benitez must tread carefully when it comes to taking full advantage of this fitness boost.
