January 22, 2025
West Ham captain Jarrod Bowen back on grass as he targets early return from injury

West Ham captain Jarrod Bowen back on grass as he targets early return from injury

    (Getty Images)

(Getty Images)

Jarrod Bowen is back on grass and ahead of schedule in his recovery from a broken foot.

The West Ham captain fractured his left foot during the 5-0 defeat to Liverpool on December 29 and it was feared he would be out until the end of February.

But Bowen is progressing well and has stepped up his recovery by starting individual running work with West Ham physiotherapists at their Rush Green training ground on Monday.

New Hammers manager Graham Potter explained that the 28-year-old was doing his best to return early and was ahead of schedule.

Bowen fractured his left foot during the 5-0 defeat to Liverpool on December 29 (James Manning/PA Wire)Bowen fractured his left foot during the 5-0 defeat to Liverpool on December 29 (James Manning/PA Wire)

Bowen fractured his left foot during the 5-0 defeat to Liverpool on December 29 (James Manning/PA Wire)

“I think if you talk to Jarrod, he’ll try to tell you he’s ahead of schedule, that’s for sure,” Potter said. “He does everything he can to get on the field as quickly as possible.

“We just have to make sure that everything is done safely and that it’s [in] a good way for him, because we want to get him back and we want him to stay there.

“But you know Jarrod – he wants to be out there, he wants to play and we’re trying to pull the reins from him rather than the other way around. He’s fantastic to have around.

Potter added: “He’s champing at the bit and he wants to get out and help. But he just needs to take his medication for now and do his rehabilitation properly.

“He was jogging today with the individual physiotherapist, so that’s positive. I think if I look at it now, Jarrod will be ahead rather than behind. This isn’t a genius prediction, it’s really all.

Niclas Fullkrug’s hamstring injury means Danny Ings is the only fit striker in West Ham’s squad.

The Hammers are looking for a new leader this month, but Potter said: “It’s tempting to think there’s one guy who’s going to solve all your problems, but in my experience it’s is rarely as simple as that.

“Twenty goals per season, from Premier League players in January: there aren’t many of those in the world, period. So it’s even more difficult to get them in January.”

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *