BY IAIN COLLIN – Capital City Press
Robert Snodgrass is set to resume full training later this month – but is expected to agonisingly just miss out on the Euro 2016 play-offs, should Scotland keep their qualification dreams alive this week.
The Hull City attacker has been out of action for 14 months since dislocating his knee on the opening day of last season in making his debut for his new club.
The former Livingston and Norwich City player has since endured a long road to recovery, but Tigers boss Steve Bruce has revealed his £7 million signing now has ‘light at the end of the tunnel’.
A video shared on social media on Friday showed Snodgrass stepping up his rehabilitation with some gruelling training-ground drills that raised hopes of an imminent return.
However, despite admitting he is optimistic Snodgrass will rejoin the Hull squad for training by the end of the month, it is not expected the 15-times capped internationalist will be ready for first-team action until after the break for the Euro 2016 play-offs in November.
Bruce said: “Over the last two weeks it has been terrific to see him because there is a light at the end of the tunnel.
“It’s been a long road back for him but, in himself, you can see that he is now at ease with his knee. He now has a knee that looks like a knee, if that makes any sense, and he’s out on the training ground and bounding around.
“He’s doing a lot, so the next three or four weeks will be about a lot of strengthening work to build up his knee, but at the moment he is looking terrific.
“If he keeps progressing like he has done in the last couple of weeks, then we’re hoping that maybe by the end of October he’ll be coming back into the pack.”
Hull are being careful not to put a timescale on when they then expect Snodgrass to make his comeback to club action in the English Championship but it has been suggested Bruce is hopeful the 28-year-old could return for the clash with Bristol City on November 21.
@IainCollin
