Charlton Athletic boss Lee Bowyer has said Lyle Taylor will have to be carefully managed if he features against Huddersfield Town this evening at The Valley.

The 29-year-old striker made his eagerly anticipated return to the side on Saturday in the 1-0 loss against Middlesbrough, coming on for the second half of the game at the Riverside Stadium.

His effectiveness was limited, having just one attempted shot, which was blocked. That highlighted that he is definitely not yet at 100%.

Taylor has been out for over three months with a knee injury, and has not been rushed back to the first team in case of an aggravation to the issue.

Despite returning to the side last time out, it has remained to be seen if Taylor would be able to start against Huddersfield.

However, Lee Bowyer has ruled that out, stating that the 29-year-old will most likely feature off the bench once again for the Addicks.

Speaking to London News Online, Bowyer said he expects much of the same with Taylor's inclusion against the Terriers as it was against Middlesbrough.

“He’ll be limited. He was limited at the weekend, obviously," he said.

“Then we’ll be looking at Friday [against Hull] for him to maybe play a bit more. We can’t take the risk of chucking him straight in."

When asked about why he chose for Taylor to play the second half against Middlesbrough, the Charlton boss said he had a discussion with the club physio about the right course of action.

“I spoke to the physio before half-time [at Boro] and asked: ‘What is the maximum he can play?’ He said: 'He can do 45 but Tuesday you’ll have to look after him a bit more’."

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The Verdict

It is crucial that Lee Bowyer does not rush Taylor back, despite the side yearning for his goal scoring prowess at present as they are in the midst of an eight-game run without a win.

The Charlton boss will want these two next games to be a way for Taylor to improve his match sharpness, and to show that his knee can withstand the demands of multiple intensity games once again.

Judging From Bowyer's remarks, it is feasible that Taylor may not even feature for the length of the second half this time around, instead coming on for the last twenty minutes of the game.