Andy Keogh has started light training in his bid to rejoin Wolves’ Premier League survival bid before March.

The Republic of Ireland international has been out since mid-December when he popped a tendon in his ankle in training.

Keogh is expected to be out for up to three months, but the 23-year-old started running outside again on Thursday and hopes to be back sooner than the initial prognosis.

“He’d been running on the Alti-G —the machine that takes a certain percentage of your body weight off — and he was back out on the pitch running on Thursday,” said boss Mick McCarthy.

“I know Andy is keen to break all records for coming back from that injury, but we have to be conscious of the fact that when he comes back, he stays back.

“We’ll just monitor him and see how he does.

“I don’t think Andy is thinking it will be March, but that’s five weeks away and he has something pencilled in himself for coming back before then.

“We’ve just got to be careful not to bring him back too quickly.”

Despite being injured, Keogh has been linked with a move to Burnley, where new boss Brian Laws is well aware of the former Leeds forward after signing him for Scunthorpe.

But McCarthy stressed he wants to keep all his squad.

“I’ve seen the story and it kind of makes sense because Brian Laws had him at Scunthorpe and will think a lot of him – like anyone who’s worked with him because he’s terrific, but not when he’s still a month away from being fit,” said McCarthy.

“There’s always interest in him, that’s for sure.

“He’s a good player and they all see the good in him – how hard he works, the way he creates chances for other people and the selfless way he plays.

“That’s sometimes to his detriment because he puts so much graft in.

“It’s nice if other Premier League managers are looking at him, but Championship teams would all take him.

“I don’t want to lose any of my players, but we’re talking about someone who might not be fit until March.

“He’s saying he’ll be fit a lot sooner than that, but we’ll see.

“The question has somehow come round to me selling him and I haven’t said that.

“All I’ve said was how much he’s appreciated by people.

“I can’t do anything about what Brian does, but with ‘Lawsy’, he’ll ring me anyway.”

McCarthy says Keogh’s recovery has been boosted by his hardworking attitude towards his rehabilitation, matched by the dedication of Wolves’ medical staff.

“The work they and the physios put in gets them back really quickly,” said the boss.

“They get the best of help from the doctors and the physios we have.

“But they put the work in – they do graft.

“We’ve just got to be careful not to bring him back too quickly.”