Charlton boss Lee Bowyer has said that on-loan midfielder Sam Field is close to returning to the side after recovering from a knee injury.

The 21-year-old defensive midfielder last featured for Charlton against Bristol City at the end of October, coming off during the first-half of the 2-1 defeat at Ashton Gate.

Field has been on the sidelines ever since, and was initially told he would be out for a minimum of eight weeks.

Jonny Williams and Josh Cullen have also suffered serious injuries in the time that Field has been unavailable, leaving Lee Bowyer short of numbers in central midfield in recent weeks.

The return of the on-loan West Bromwich Albion youngster will be welcome news for Lee Bowyer, with the midfield slowly returning to full-strength. Jonny Williams is back in contention for game against Hull, and Joe Ledley joined the Addicks on a short-term deal last week.

The Charlton manager revealed the news in his pre-match press conference ahead of Hull City's visit to The Valley this Saturday.

“Sam Field will be back with us next week and he’s looking good. We can’t just chuck him in, but we’ll have a player we can start bedding in again," the Addicks boss said.

Field made nine league appearances for Charlton prior to his injury, playing a total of 422 minutes for the Addicks this season.

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The Verdict

The 21-year-old's return is good news for Lee Bowyer, as Field is scheduled to rejoin to first-team training next week and could be available for the Boxing Day clash against Bristol City at The Valley.

The midfielder has come back ahead of schedule and also at the right time. The Addicks are currently on a nine-game run without a win in the Championship.