Middlesbrough manager Chris Wilder has revealed that Darnell Fisher is taking small steps in his recovery from a long-term knee injury, but is still only expected back in first-team action in 2023.
Fisher arrived on Teesside in the January transfer window of 2021 from Preston North End, making 12 Championship appearances before the end of the 2020-21 campaign.
The 2-1 defeat in April 2021 to QPR was Fisher's most recent appearance in a Boro shirt, which will have been a year-and-a-half ago in a few weeks time, and that is because of a long-standing knee problem.
A freak accident that occurred at home over a year ago caused the 28-year-old to damage his knee to the point where he has not been able to play football for well over a year.
Having missed the entirety of the 2021-22 season, there has been pleasing progress in recent weeks as Fisher has returned to first-team training, although Wilder has stopped short of expecting him in a matchday squad anytime soon, with a return to action for the under-21's the first step on his comeback trail.
“It’s fabulous news for Darnell," Wilder said, per The Northern Echo.
"For him to go through the process of him being out for 15 months is so tough.
"Work away from the lights in the gym with the medical department and the conditioners when everything else is going off.
“All the stuff that was happening last year when we first came to the football club.
"He’s looking and I should imagine he’s thinking ‘I’d love to be a part of that’ knowing that he has got to go through the process. An enormous amount of credit should go to the boy in terms of the work he has done.”
“He’s still got a long way to go.
“It’s not a case of he gets on the grass and he is available next Saturday.
"You’ve still got to go through the process of training regularly with the first-team in that intensity, getting minutes under his belt for the 21’s and then seeing where he is."
“I think he is still New Year at the very best in terms of seeing him and maybe even longer."
The Verdict
This is a positive step for Fisher, although the light at the end of the tunnel that is Championship football appears to be a fair way off.
Considering the amount of time he has been out of action for, the right-back simply cannot be rushed back in to action, and it will have to be a slow and steady approach.
Minutes for Middlesbrough's development squad is the first step on his road to recovery, but it's going to be a tough ask to get back to his very best when he will have been out for a year-and-a-half at least when he eventually makes his competitive comeback.
After much pain and suffering over the past year, things seem to be finally looking up for Fisher.