On-loan Arsenal forward Tyreece John-Jules is back with Town and a couple of weeks away from joining in with the rest of the squad, while manager Kieran McKenna has no new injury worries going into tomorrow’s trip to MK Dons with George Edmundson back in training.

John-Jules, 22, has been out of action since October when he underwent hamstring surgery. The England U21 international had been expected back with the Blues last week having been back at his parent club during his rehabilitation but his return was delayed by illness which he is now over.

“Tyreece is back with us so that’s been good,” McKenna said. “He’s a really popular person around the training ground, so everyone’s been happy to see him and have him back and he’s working on the grass. We hope to have him training with the group in a couple of weeks.”

Quizzed on how long it might be before John-Jules will be available for a matchday squad, McKenna added: “He’s had a fairly major surgery on his hamstring, so you never like to put exact deadlines on it.

“It’s step by step at the moment. He’s working with the fitness coaches on the grass, that’s going well and the first step has to be getting him back into training with the squad, which is a couple of weeks away and from there we’ll make assessments on when’s going to be the right time to reintroduce him into the team.”

McKenna says he has no new injury concerns ahead of Saturday, while George Edmundson is back with the group having suffered an ankle problem in the FA Cup replay at Burnley.

“No, we’re in a pretty good place,” McKenna continued. “Everyone who was available last week is available now. George Edmundson joined back in training yesterday, so we’re in a strong spot.”

The Blues boss confirmed that Australian international central midfielder Massimo Luongo has trained well having impressed off the bench last week following a minor knock.

“I think from a physical point of view he’s had a good week, the Blues boss continued. “We’ve been managing him back in after the little niggle that he had. But he’s trained all week and feels good, so he’s ready to contribute.”

Photo: Pagepix

Guthrum added 10:33 - Feb 24 Excellent news.
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bluesteal74 added 11:19 - Feb 24 Welcome back JJ really think we've missed him and hopefully he can play a part in the rest of the season.
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TimmyH added 11:35 - Feb 24 A bit hit and miss for me...don't think he'll make that much difference, we've got better players up top than him.
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bluelad7 added 11:58 - Feb 24 Fantastic news
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Len_Brennan added 12:46 - Feb 24 Good news for himself, the club & Arsenal, however I find it hard to see where he will get more than 5/10 minutes here & there when back to full fitness, which could even make it a headache having to slot him into the team or match day squad, leaving someone else out. In reality we are playing as a 4-2-3-1 now, with Jackson pushing Burns for the right sided forward position. The centre forward/striker role is between Ladapo & Hirst, who seem to be destined to replace each other rather than ever playing alongside, so an argument could be made for John-Jules to come in if we need to switch tactics, but again as a sub & not a starter. With Broadhead in the side, one of our #10s has definitely switched to being more a left sided forward, and I would expect that to remain as he looks a fine player who should start every game to the end of the season, fitness permitting. Again john-Jules could be the sub coming on to replace him if he has run out of steam or is being protected, but surely Marcus Harness will have priority in such circumstances. Chaplin should start as the #10, central forward behind the striker, and Aluko is the obvious candidate to compete with or replace him as a sub, So John-Jules will be fighting it out with Kyle Edwards to be that mercurial sub to come on in the last few minutes, somewhere along the front line, but most of the time will not actually make the matchday squad. Kyle will be disappointed to slip down further. Given the options we have, I would prefer we didn't forsake Greg Leigh, Massimo Luongo or Edmundson/Burgess from the 18 in order to make room for John-Jules as an extra forward option.

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Marinersnose added 13:35 - Feb 24 This is excellent news. As a team we performed so much better with him in the team. Clever and quick and a real worker. Yes we have a big squad but for me the better quality players should be getting the nod. He is a player who will play ata higher level and I believe KMK may see him as a future acquisition if the price is right.
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Taricco_Fan added 22:16 - Feb 24 Sweet.
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