Charlton Athletic winger could be back for Sunderland game – but boss Bowyer puzzled by quick recovery

BY RICHARD CAWLEY

richard@slpmedia.co.uk

Tariqe Fosu could be back in time for Charlton’s League One opener at Sunderland on August 4 – but caretaker manager Lee Bowyer is puzzled over how the winger can return so quickly.

The Addicks boss is also unhappy that the tricky wideman has picked up another hamstring injury in Saturday’s 2-0 friendly win over Crawley Town.

Fosu was sidelined by a similar problem at the end of the last League One season but managed to get back to play some part in the play-off matches against Shrewsbury Town.

Bowyer told the South London Press on Monday morning: “The physio texted me on Sunday night and said: ‘It’s not that bad – he has got a chance of being back for Sunderland’. 

“I find that strange. Because with all the injuries I had, I’ve never been back from a hamstring in 10 days or even two weeks. It has always been a minimum of three weeks.

“I’ll have a meeting with the physio and Tariqe this afternoon [Monday].

“I don’t know if it is the same hamstring as the one he had at the end of last season. We rushed him back because of the play-offs and he did it again.

“But no way should it be going again so soon. He hasn’t played any minutes in games – 60 minutes is the most he has been playing. You shouldn’t be doing your hamstring in 60 minutes.

“It is something that worries me. Surely he should have got physio treatment and that doesn’t happen again in pre-season? That is what I want to get to the bottom of – because it ain’t good.”

Lyle Taylor also came off at the weekend with a bruised foot.

The former AFC Wimbledon striker will sit out tonight’s home friendly against Brighton.

New signing Darren Pratley and trialist Rohan Ince – who was released by the Seagulls this summer – are set to play 45 minutes.

Bowyer said: “Lyle was always going to miss Brighton anyway because he played near on 90 minutes on Saturday and was going to play 90 against Norwich [this weekend]. That was the plan.”

Right-back Anfernee Dijksteel is set for further tests after the revelation last week that he was suffering from pneumonia.

Bowyer said: “He is still on antibiotics but is having some tests today [Monday]. Something else has flagged up because he has lost weight he shouldn’t really have lost.

“It is something we can’t control. We have got to make sure we get him back right. It’s not an injury as such, just one of them things.

“The sooner he gets back the better because he is behind. He was behind already – that’s how we knew there was something wrong because he was at the back in our running drills when usually he is right near the front.”

IMAGE BY BENJAMIN PETERS