Super Eagles midfielder Oghenekaro Etebo who is on the mend from an injury spell could make an appearance off the bench for Watford against Burnley in their rescheduled Premier League game now to be played Saturday night.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelThe Watford versus Burnley game is one of several fixtures that were postponed due to Coronavirus cases in the Premier League.
This is the view of injury expert Ben Dinnery, who runs the Premier Injuries site and has a background in medicine and data analysis.
Etebo played in all of his club’s six opening Premier League matches before he underwent surgery on a quadriceps issue which saw him miss the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations for Nigeria.
Watford posted images of the Nigerian in training sessions on January 29 since his succesful operations.
“He’s slightly ahead of schedule,” Dinnery told Football Insider.
“This is one where he’ll be assessed on a daily basis to see how he competes with the team. It’ll be a big boost for him to be back in training again.
Etebo who on loan from Stoke City is familiar with the coaching style of the new manager Roy Hodgson and that could be a good fit in terms of adaptability.
“Maybe the arrival of (Roy) Hodgson can benefit Peter Etebo. He has looked historically towards a 4-2-3-1, and Etebo would fit nicely in that midfield.
“There are a big number of first-team squad players at his disposal, so there isn’t any pressure to rush him back.
“In theory, if he’s coming through with these sessions without any issues, it’s just a case of building that baseline fitness and sharpness.
“I definitely wouldn’t expect him to start again Burnley. But minutes from the bench are a possibility.
“In mid to late February, he will be approaching peak levels of fitness.”
The Hornets have not won in nine and are second from bottom ahead of Saturday’s clash in East Lancashire.
Izuchukwu Okosi is a Nigerian sports and entertainment journalist with two decades of experience in the media industry having begun his media journey in 2002 as an intern at Mundial Sports International (MSI) and Africa Independent Television (AIT), owners of Daar Communications Plc.
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