New Ipswich Town physio Chris Skitt hopes Emyr Huws and Teddy Bishop will return to action by the end of pre-season.
The pair played just a combined nine games last season as they battled injury throughout the campaign, with Huws’ season ultimately ended by knee surgery while Bishop didn’t play again after suffering a hamstring problem on Boxing Day.
Both are with the Town squad for their pre-season training camp in Spain, where they have been working with Skitt, who has followed manager Paul Hurst from Shrewsbury.
While Skitt insists the midfielders will not be rushed back into action, it is hoped they will be back on the field at some point during the club’s pre-season programme.
“They’ve spent an extensive amount of time out and they’ve consequently needed a significant input from the physio side,” Skitt said in a club interview.
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“It’s about managing their load through statistics, making sure they’re nice and progressive in what they’re doing and that they don’t have a shock to their body and stress another part of the body or the same injury.
“It’s very much a progressive period for them of building their load each week and seeing if we can get them some minutes near the end of pre-season, ideally.
“A lot of that will be determined with how they do through the progressive loading period.
“If we want to see them all season, get them back on the pitch and keep them on the pitch then it’s massively important. They won’t be rushed, we’ll take our time with them and make sure that when they’re back, they’re back in to stay.”
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The Blues struggled with a succession of injury problems last season, with Tom Adeyemi and Andre Dozzell also sidelined for long periods, with work ongoing to limit the number of players in the treatment room.
“If you’ve got a strong, robust body then there’s less chance of injury,” Skitt said.
“I’d love to say we’re not going to get any injuries this season but it’s inevitable there will be injuries. There will be soft tissue injuries.
“But our job is to minimise them and prevent them where possible when they come. If they do come, then try and deal with them in the most efficient manner and get them back out there.
“It’s about looking at what went on last year to get the injuries. We’ve started doing that and a lot of them have been freak injuries but also looking at elements of how we can improve what we do.
“Ultimately the sports science side of things lends itself and is linked to physio because it makes them fitter, stronger, more robust and protects them a little bit more against injury.”
The Ipswich squad have been undergoing triple training sessions throughout their stay in Spain, with Skitt believing the squad will be one of the fittest in the Championship.
He said: “I’ve worked with people in the past from all levels and all leagues so you get a gauge with the fitness requirements.
“It’s massive, the work with Doigy and the gaffer is key in our opinion. The team needs to be fit and I envisage us being one of the strongest, fittest teams in the league.”
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