Oxford United have been given a boost with the confirmation that Lewis Bate should be back in action sooner than expected.
The on-loan Leeds midfielder hobbed off after a thunderous challenge during the Papa John’s Trophy game against Chelsea Under 21s last week with fears that he would be missing long-term.
However, as Karl Robinson explained to us this morning, there is much better news a week on:
“Lewis came in the next day on crutches and wearing a protective boot and you fear the worst. But he went for an X-Ray and that showed no break or fracture. We then got him booked for an MRI scan just as a precaution and to make sure there were no surprises. That came back clear as well and that is really good news for us and for Lewis.
“There is still a lot of bruising and it remains very uncomfortable so we won’t take any risks and will take it day by day. But if all goes to plan then he is going to be back a lot quicker than we thought when it first happened.”