Florian Lejeune is back kicking a ball again - barely three weeks after undergoing surgery in Rome.
The Frenchman tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during Newcastle's 1-0 defeat to Crystal Palace last month, having suffered the same injury in his right knee in July .
Following a successful stint at the Villa Stuart Clinic last summer, Lejeune was again sent to the 'miracle' surgeon, Professor Pier Paolo Mariani, for surgery.
Professor Mariani has operated on thousands of athletes, including Francesco Totti, Lorenzo Insigne, Mirko Vucinic and Antonio Rudiger, and has made his name for precise ACL operations which last between half an hour and 40 minutes.
As a result, patients do not experience too many problems with inflammation or swelling post-surgery and are able to start their rehabilitation immediately.
Aided by the support of his family - fiancée Laury and daughter Lena have also travelled to Rome - and fellow athletes at the clinic, Lejeune is making impressive progress.
The 27-year-old was back walking unaided just six days after surgery and has been hitting the treadmill and kicking a ball while balancing on a mini trampoline in the last couple of days.
Lejeune's progress should not come as a surprise. Following his operation last summer, Lejeune returned to action with the reserves four-and-a-half months later and while every ACL tear is different, the defender is well on track.
"He worked very hard here and he worked very well," Professor Mariani told ChronicleLive about Lejeune's previous recovery. "He's very positive.
"After one or two days, when he knew his injury, slowly, day by day, he had a positive attitude and he wanted to do the work to come back. He was very determined, very sharp."
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