Arsenal have given Doncaster Rovers permission to play Tyreece John-Jules this weekend for the first time since his injury, but only for 30 minutes.
Back in January, Tyreece John-Jules picked up a serious hamstring injury whilst on loan with Doncaster Rovers. Three months later, it looks like he’s finally ready to make his return to the pitch for the League One club in their end of season run-in.
Earlier this month, Rovers boss Andy Butler had told the media that they were set to get John-Jules back on April 12th. Obviously, it was too soon for the striker to be involved in their game on the 13th the next day, but after a positive week of training he was ready for this weekend.
Butler told the media they had specific instructions from Arsenal on how long to use the 20-year-old for, which they were keen to respect.
“He’s coming on really well,” Butler said. “He’s looking fit and sharp in training and he’s eager to get going.
“We’re under instructions from Arsenal on how to manage him and we’ll use that to our advantage at the weekend. He’s allowed to play 30 minutes so hopefully he will have an impact when we’re using him.
“It’s about making sure we do the right thing for Tyreece as well. The last thing we want to do is have him come back in and then burn him out.
“We’ve got a fantastic relationship with Arsenal and we wouldn’t do anything to jeopardise that. It’s their player and rightly so they are looking after him. We thank them for getting him back before the end of the season.”
A few weeks ago, Doncaster Rovers were well-positioned to make a play-off run. But their form has been dreadful, losing five games in a row to drop down to mid-table. They’ve also only scored four goals in their last nine games.
The only saving grace is that they still have a game in hand (or two) on most of the teams above them, but even a win in that would leave them needing a perfect run to the end of the season and lots of dropped points above them.
It’s certainly too much to ask for John-Jules to turn their season around on his own, but perhaps he can provide a little inspiration to at least end his loan spell on a positive note.