Mark Delaney Stepping Up Fitness

Mark Delaney is close to a return but not a return to contract talks!

The Welsh right-back is stepping up his training at Bodymoor Heath and aiming to be able to train with a ball in the not to distant future.

He said: 'I'm going in three times a week and I'm continuing my strengthening programme jogging in the swimming pool. Things are going well and I'm approaching the date when I can start running again, which is the middle of the month. So the timescale is getting shorter so I can see a bit of light at the end of the tunnel now. I've spoken to the physios in the United States and they have told me that there might be some swelling around the knee. But touch wood, there hasn't been any yet, so that's good news.'

'I am upping the weights on my leg to get the strength back in my knee and it's getting tougher. I've been doing this for eight weeks now and it's getting tough but hopefully in the long run it will be beneficial.'

Adding on the official site: 'I'll be starting jogging in the middle of June and I'll be starting doing football activities in the middle of July, so hopefully I'll get the answers I want. There's no reason to be concerned but there's still the thought at the back of my mind as to how it will react to what I can and can't do so I'm still nervous, but I'm confident at the moment. As regards my contract, I need to find out how I react to running first.'

'Martin O'Neill has said I need to make sure I'm doing my programme right and when I get out there, we'll sit down and discuss my future.'

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