Gillingham midfielder Mark Byrne has taken his first major step towards making a playing comeback after providing a significant update following his recent knee surgery.

Byrne suffered Anterior Cruciate Ligament damage during the 1-0 victory over Sunderland on 7 December and the subsequent injury ruled him out for the rest of the season.

The 31-year-old is out of contract with the Gills in the summer, but Steve Evans revealed in an interview with Kent Online that the midfielder will be welcome to come back for pre-season.

And now Byrne has taken to Twitter to show the first steps of his recovery - with the former Nottingham Forest man already back running cleanly on a treadmill less than three months after undergoing the surgery.

The Verdict

In terms of playing against this season, it's a no-go for Byrne.

However, it's always pleasing to see a player recovery successfully from a serious injury, but whether the midfielder will be playing his football in Kent or elsewhere next term remains to be seen.

Byrne is one of Gillingham's longest serving players, but on the back of a serious injury and considering he's 32 at the end of the year, the Gills might be reluctant to offer him fresh terms.