Jordan Graham would love to be back for Wolves’ trip to former club Aston Villa in mid-October – but he won’t take any undue risks to make it.
Graham is in the middle of a lengthy absence with a cruciate injury sustained against Cardiff in January, and faces a tough challenge to be near consideration for the trip to Villa Park on October 15th.
But he will continue to use the prospect as further motivation as he steps up his recovery which has included spending most of the close season break at Compton Park.
“I had said that I was hoping the trip to Villa would come when I was back for obvious reasons as I would love to go back and play there,” he says.
“And hopefully it has given me half a chance.
“I spoke to Jazz (physio Jazz Sodhi) as soon as I saw the date to see what he thought.
“He said it was one of those situations where you don’t necessarily want to put a time frame on an injury like this because if you pick that game and don’t make it you will end up disappointed.
“I know what I need to do and I am going to work as hard as I possibly can and do everything right like I have been doing.
“And if it is meant to be then it is meant to be.
“At the moment and with any long term injury you do take every day as it comes.
“Obviously the Villa game has a special meaning for me personally but it is also only one game, only one league game.
“If I’m not available by then and I don’t play then there is always the home game to try and get involved in.
“Obviously I would love to be involved and I will carry on working hard to try and make it but none of us would take any risks if it meant I might end up out again afterwards.”
Whenever it is that Graham is available again, he admits the sight of the new fixture list will once again get the juices flowing as he aims to make another positive impression at some stage of next season.
“As soon as I saw the fixtures I was excited,” he says.
“There are some big teams in there with Newcastle, Villa and Norwich coming down.
“In a way the fixture list hasn’t been too kind to me as we are going to a lot of the big teams in the early part of the season.
“But that is one of those things – when I can get back I will just be delighted and excited to try and get out on that pitch.
“Whether it’s one of the new teams like Burton, or Newcastle or Villa, I just can’t wait to be back.
“Hopefully the most difficult part of the rehabilitation is past now.
“I am feeling more free now and hopefully within the next week or two I am going to be out running.
“Getting the boots back in and getting outside will be a big step especially with the boys being back next week and going into pre-season training.
“Every couple of months you take a big step and this will be another one when we can get outside.
“Once that happens I will start to feel I am on the home straight.”
Graham and the other injured players who have been working hard with staff over the summer will no doubt take a further boost from the return of the rest of the Wolves squad, the majority of whom report back for pre-season next week.
“I am looking forward to seeing all the lads back in next week,” said the winger.
“I have been speaking to them during the summer and it will be good to catch up again.
“It has been tough at times during the close-season but a few of us have been in although sometimes people get some time off and you are working away on your own with the staff.
“But it happens, it is part of football, and we all know what we have got to do to get ourselves fit and raring to go and trying to get back in the team.
“The sooner you get your head around everything and what you need to do then the sooner you get back on the pitch.”
