Having returned to running on the grass earlier this week, Charlie Winfield believes it is another milestone ticked off as he continues his recovery from major knee surgery.
The dynamic full-back suffered an agonising ACL injury at the end of 2021 but is progressing well with his rehab programme and is now – literally – taking everything in his strike.
“It felt good; it felt different and weird to start with but, once I got going, it just felt back to normal,” the 20-year-old told iFollow Barnsley.
“I couldn’t stop smiling all morning and, even though it’s only a bit, it’s like the next step and hopefully I can just keep on progressing.”
It is slow and steady for Winfield as he gets to grips with the mechanisms required to run and as his body gradually reaccustoms to the physical demands.
But thanks to the help and encouragement of the medical department here at Oakwell, he has embraced the challenge and is looking forward to meeting more targets in the coming weeks and months.
“I’ve just been starting with the basics again – one minute on, one minute off and then to two minutes on, one minute off and then to four minutes on to two minutes off,” he explained.
“It’s feeling good, better than I thought it would. So far, I’ve had no reactions to anything, which is good.”
Not only is he back out working hard on the training ground, Winfield has also been putting in the hours in the gym in order to strengthen the muscles around his knee.
From box jumps to leg raises, weighted squats to leg press, the youngster has been keeping himself in the best condition possible throughout this ordeal.
“From where I was when I first had my operation to now, I feel like I’ve come a long way and improved a lot,” he continued
“Having previous injuries and stuff, I think it’s helped me through this a bit. Obviously, you have your good days and bad days but, overall, I think I’ve been quite good and quite positive.”
