Birmingham City defender Scott Dann won't rush rehabilitation from injury

Apr 3 2011 by Brian Halford, Sunday Mercury

BLUES defender Scott Dann will step up his rehabilitation from a torn hamstring next week with a view to returning to full training early next month.

Dann has been hugely missed in the heart of Blues’ defence since getting injured in the first leg of the Carling Cup semi-final at West Ham on January 11.

And while the team has been the poorer for his absence, he has suffered the angst of missing out on the cup triumph at Wembley and having to watch from the sidelines as his team-mates were sucked into a relegation dogfight.

Dann is desperate to get back in action but while making good progress from the operation he had 11 weeks ago the 24-year-old reckons it’s unlikely he will return to the first-team fray this season.

“This is the longest I have been out but it has gone quicker than I thought it was going to,” he said.

“The physios have helped me a lot and it’s about getting it right from now on and not rushing and making sure I come back stronger.

“It’s going well at the minute. I am in the gym doing a lot of strengthening work, building my muscles back up, and I hope to start running next week.

“If everything goes to plan I will be back training in early May but when you have been out for so long you need to train for a couple of weeks then get your match fitness back.

“In the position we are in the players need to be right on their mettle so although, all being well, I will be training before the end of the season, it may be too soon to play. But I’ll just take every day as it comes.