Nottingham Forest midfielder Ryan Yates has been stepping up his recovery from injury during the international break.
And the 21-year-old has said a comeback is not too far away, having missed the first month of the season.
Yates has had a minor operation to cure a long-standing knee problem which had flared up again when he reported back for pre-season training this summer.
He has yet to feature for head coach Sabri Lamouchi in competitive action, but the Reds’ official social media account has posted a picture of the youngster back in the gym and lifting a weight as he works on his fitness.
And Yates himself wrote “not long now” alongside the photograph.
Lamouchi said last month he was looking forward to having Yates available for selection.
“He is very focused and very determined,” the Frenchman said.
“It is lucky for me and lucky for him, especially, because he is a good player and an important player for the squad.
“He is young but the squad needs players like him.”
The fortnight’s respite will have given Yates extra time to build up his fitness, with Forest returning to action this weekend against Swansea City.
Portuguese ace Joao Carvalho recently made his comeback from injury, while Tendayi Darikwa, Yohan Benalouane and Michael Hefele remain sidelined.
