‘First time’ - Portsmouth and New Zealander winger Luke Brooke-Smith provides major update following horror training ground injury
Luke Brooke-Smith is making good progress in his recovery from injury
Luke Brooke-Smith has reached a significant milestone in his gruelling comeback from injury.
The Pompey forward, who dislocated his ankle, fractured his fibula and sustained ligament damage in a freak training ground incident in September, has posted a video of himself on Instagram which showcases his remarkable progress.
In the reel, the 18-year-old can be seen doing keepy-uppies with a ball in the Blues’ gym at their Hilsea training base.
His post includes the words ‘First time with ball’, an update that is accompanied by a fingers crossed emoji as the talented attacker continues to chart his recovery.
The injury sustained approximately nine weeks ago brought the New Zealander’s promising start to his Blues career to a shuddering halt.
Signed from A-League side Wellington Phoenix for £400,000 in July, the All Whites international had featured four times for John Mousinho’s side, including a start in the opening game of the season away to West Ham at the London Stadium.
However, surgery was required to fix the damage suffered by the unfortunate Brooke-Smith, a procedure that saw a ‘rope’ implant used as opposed to screws and pins.
There were initial fears that his maiden season at Fratton Park would be over before it had really begun.
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Thankfully, though, a return date early in the new year has since been earmarked for the winger.
And that’s a timeframe which Brooke-Smith looks capable of sticking to as he continues along the path to a full recovery.
The teenager has been forced to sit out 11 matches to date because of the blow.
In his absence, Pompey have welcomed back fellow wingers Josh Murphy and Franco Umeh from injury.
However, Keshi Anderson is currently on the sidelines after he suffered a hamstring injury during the Blues’ 3-2 win against Sheffield United in October. He’s not due back until just before Christmas.