United goalkeeper Sam Slocombe believes he is very much heading in the right direction as he nears his return to first-team football.
The Scunthorpe-born ‘keeper has been out since January 17 after suffering a broken ulna during the 2-0 home defeat to Bristol City, and he spoke to our official matchday magazine THE IRON about how he’s been stepping up his rehabilitation, and getting back involved in the thick of it in training.Slocombe told us: “It’s nice to get out of the four walls and on to the green stuff.
“It’s been a frustrating one as there is only so much I’ve been able to do, it’s my first real break that I’ve really had and it’s been strange going back out there.
“The surgeon and the consultant said 10 weeks and that would have been as of Wednesday last week, but I think the Peterborough game came a little bit too soon for me having completed my first full training session last week.
“I’d been out there for two weeks training now but very much scaled down stuff.
“It’s had a good reaction but it still needs a little bit more work on it, but that only comes with putting myself out there and being in position and also in the awkward positions that you actually get to as a goalkeeper.
“It’s good to be outside and back being with the lads and trying to give your input at this important time of the season.”
Slocombe has been working hard in the gym and on the training pitches to help regain fitness in time for the final few games of the SkyBet League One campaign, and although he understands he’ll need a bit of match practice before jumping straight back in to first team action, he is ready to cause manager Mark Robins a selection headache in the coming weeks.
He said: “It’s working on the muscles in the forearm as well as the your triceps and biceps, as in the early stages there was a lot of muscle tissue wastage, but that’s come back quite quickly and it’s just a case of maintaining it now.
“If it’s starting to feel a little bit sore we put some precautionary ice on it.
“Overall it’s okay, just putting it through the stresses now of being a goalkeeper again!
“I definitely want to play again this season, and I know I’ll have to play a couple of reserve games first to get back in there and perform and give the gaffer the option of picking me.”
With less than a month remaining of the 2014/15 season, Slocombe will be focusing on the off-season to fully strengthen his arm ahead of returning in July fully fit and ready to stake his claim for the no.1 jersey.
He rounded off by talking about his plans on how to do such preparation.
Slocombe shared: “I’ll have to continue rehab over the summer, a break fully heals over three months and it’s only been around one and a half so far.
“After six weeks it starts to lay down the foundation cartilage, six to eight it starts to strengthen, and then eight to ten it’s near enough back to full strength, however not completely but with the pin and plate in there you could argue it is over 100% ready.
“That three month period of getting things back to normal should see my wrist movements completely returning, and it should just feel normal.
“At the minute I am aware that there is a plate in there, but as time goes by I think that’ll change. I’ll use the summer to first, rest properly and allow my body to rest and recover, and then a couple of weeks after that I’ll be making sure I’m in good condition to return for the next season.”