Arsenal loanee Brooke Norton-Cuffy missed Lincoln City’s most recent fixture with a tight hamstring, but his manager is hopeful of a speedy return.

Ahead of Lincoln City’s trip to Fleetwood Town on Tuesday night, Michael Appleton confirmed that the team would be missing Arsenal’s Brooke Norton-Cuffy due to a tight hamstring.

The good news is that the injury doesn’t seem to be too serious at this stage.

Speaking after the match, Appleton suggested Norton-Cuffy could even be back in the team later this week.

“I’m hoping he will be back by the weekend,” Appleton said. “He played three games in a short space of time for England (Under-19s) and did well to get through 90 minutes against a tough opponent on the weekend.

“He’s in a really good place at the minute so if we can get him back fit then that will obviously be a bonus for us.”

It’s certainly true that the 18-year-old has been very busy lately. Before Tuesday’s absence, he’d made 13 consecutive starts in two months for club and country (if you exclude the one Lincoln City match he missed in order to go on international duty).

Arsenal youth games tend to be a bit more spread out, so this is probably the first time Norton-Cuffy has experienced so many competitive fixtures in so little time.

A minor injury setback is almost to be expected in those circumstances.

As long as Lincoln manage it well and recognise when he needs a break for a game or two, this shouldn’t be anything to worry about.