By Paul Hurst hopes forward John McAtee could make Town return next month
Grimsby Town manager Paul Hurst said he is hoping John McAtee could make a return to action next month.
The forward, who has been out of action with a shoulder injury since the opening-day defeat against Leyton Orient, hinted on social media last week that he could soon be back playing for Town.
The 23-year-old joined Luton Town for an undisclosed fee in August, but the Championship outfit agreed to loan him back to the Mariners for the remainder of the season.
Although Hurst’s side have had a strong start to their League Two campaign, McAtee would certainly add more quality in the forward positions after registering 16 goals in their promotion from the National League last season.
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When asked about the attacker’s potential return to action by BBC Humberside, the Grimsby boss said: “He’s doing some training non-contact, he’s progressing in terms of the work he’s doing to strengthen his shoulder, and I think he’s kind of happy with where he’s at.”
Hurst joked that after having discussions with assistant manager Chris Doig, McAtee’s biggest concern is that he might not be able to force his way back into the team following the side’s good run of form.
“He’s making progress but he’s still a few weeks away, I would suggest,” said Hurst. “But it’s good news in terms of him not just doing gym work because, again, that will help speed up his return when he’s back in training fully that he can, hopefully, rejoin us and be available as soon as possible.”
Asked if next month is a realistic target for his return, the Town manager said: “I would hope so. It’s how we look at his next month, I suppose. But at some point, I would hope that we would get him back here as a minimum and, perhaps, be in a position where he can be involved in the squad.”
