Healy on course for pre-season return

Mick McCarthy says Colin Healy is bang on course for a pre-season comeback.

Healy's season was cut short when he badly broke his leg at Coventry in December and it was estimated that his rehabilitation would take six months.

The Sunderland midfielder is now four months into his programme and according to McCarthy everything is going to plan.

Healy wore a metal brace for two months after breaking his tibia and fibula at Highfield Road, but that was removed last month and he is now wearing a slight plastic protective cover.

The Republic of Ireland man is busy in the gym and McCarthy expects him to be able to join in when Sunderland return to pre-season training in early July.
He said: "Colin's doing great, he is getting along well. He is on one crutch now and he just has like a plastic guard over his leg.

"He has been walking on it and he has been doing weight and working hard in the gym.

"The medical people told him he would be out for six months when he first suffered the injury but, Colin being Colin and players being players, he thought he might be back before then but he still has a bit of pain in his leg.

"The six months will be up at the start of June but Colin doesn't need to rush - he has got until July to get fit for pre-season training. He doesn't need to concern himself about getting back for a while yet."

Healy, 24, joined Sunderland in August, making his debut against Preston three weeks later. He was a regular in the Black Cats' midfield when the tackle by Coventry's Youssef Safri ended his season.