Kightly jets off in bid to save season

Tuesday 23rd February 2010, 12:01PM GMT.

Kightly jets off in bid to save season

Wolves winger Michael Kightly has jetted to Spain for a series of treatments on his troublesome knees in a bid to try and save his season.

The luckless wide man has fully recovered from aggravating his ankle injury that has kept him out since November 29 during his comeback, but has since been suffering with discomfort in both knees.

Kightly has now undergone treatment in Barcelona with a leading knee specialist in a bid to end his frustration which started a year ago after breaking his foot in a training ground friendly.

With 12 games left, manager Mick McCarthy isn’t ruling the 24-year-old out of his plans for the season just yet.

The Wolves boss said: “Kightly been to see a specialist in Barcelona a few times for a quite aggressive treatment, so he’s doing his best to get through it and then get back. Will he be back this season? I’m always optimistic – he might score the winner that keeps us up.

“He just gets an irritation to the patella tendon so he’s having ongoing treatment and he’ll be out for as long as it takes. We’re not going to rush him back.

“It’s hard for him because he got back and played three games before twisting his foot against Birmingham. So we’ve said to him ‘take as long as it takes – get yourself back.’

“For me to elaborate any more I probably wouldn’t do it justice, but he has to get shut of that discomfort.”

McCarthy stressed last week there is no long term worries about Kightly, but the winger’s continued absence from training raises concerns about his ability to have an impact on this season.

David Edwards, who suffered the same ankle problem as Kightly, is ahead of the former England under-21 international in his recovery, but still some way off returning to full training.

The manager said: “I thought David might be out training this week but he won’t be. If he’s back training next week then I’d be happy but that might not be the case.”

But there is however more encouraging news of Wolves’ other injured player, Andy Keogh.

McCarthy added: “Keogh should train this week but he didn’t train fully yesterday because the pitches were frozen.”


  1. 1
    We_Need_Kighlty_Back

    Hope this helps Kightly greatly in his recovery and hopefully he will come back and make a superb contribution to helping us avoid relegation!!

    UTW

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    • Boberta

      We way he played in those prem matchers make me believe we would be better off leaving him until next season so he is 101%

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    • Dont_get_your_hopes_up

      Good luck kites hope hes back soon.

      I shall not be dependent though on kightly coming back and saving us, because i dont believe he will be back this season or to 100% fitness. I knew when the season started we should of spent money on a proper winger just incase, look whats happend hes barely kicked a ball this season.

      anyway i’m not getting my hopes up on kightly coming back, because our squad can stay up without him.

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  2. 2
    Mick is God

    Come on Kightly mate you can do keep your chin up mate the fans are right there with you.

    Up The Wolves!

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  3. 3
    spanish ray

    Good luck Kites.Speedy recovery.get well soon and get back in side.

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  4. 4
    never again

    Save his season what a joke,the season will be over by the time he gets back,i say get him fit and sell him,easier said than done.

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    • matt

      are you stupid, go support west brom, he was one of our best players in the championshhip and he hasnt had a chance at the big time yet.

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      • footiemadPam

        Why do you all keep having a knock at never again,i sit by him at the games and i can tell you he`s far from stupid,he is the most passionate football fan i know and he loves his club,his knoledge of football is second to none,he aint bad looking either,so let him have his say.

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        • TopWolf

          Hahahaha this is brilliant from footiemadpam! I’m guessing you sit by him at the Hawthorns or are you the same person cus obviously when ya sit down at the Hawthorns you’re usually sitting alone as there aint many there?

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    • Blakedown Wolves

      …. off back to Sandwell you idiot we dont need people like you supporting our great club

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    • Tim Wolf

      Sell him ? Are you insane ?

      Whether or not he makes it back this season he’s still one of our best players.

      Whatever happens, next season we’ll need him.

      Good luck Kites.

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      • C.J

        take no notice of never agian hes a tesco .trying to wind us wolves fans up i know this because hes one of my mates and he told me

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      • Grace

        Tim

        No, he’s not insane

        Worse

        He’s a silly Albion fan who thinks he’s funny posting on here, but aint got the minerals to front it.

        He’s just upset coz a Wolves player scored against them in their big game at the weekend!!!

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        • Tim Wolf

          Grace,

          I think you’re right, the emotion of such a stupid statement got the better of me.

          I shall just relax with the thought of Tesco’s losing in the play off’s and the mighty Wolves finishing above Portsmouth, Burnley and Hull.

          Good luck at Bolton.

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    • mordenwolf

      On his day, when he’s fit and raring to go, he’s a better player than Graham “best player in the Championship” Dorrans. Don’t believe the tripe!

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    • N1 Wolf

      can everyone please ignore this Tesco Trolly Wally and hopefully he will go away….there are far too many baggies in disguise on our pages, suppose its the closest they’ll get to the Prem.

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  5. 5
    BIDDULPHDEK

    Reading between the lines, it looks unlikely that Kightly will be fit in time before the end of the season. Hope I’m wrong.

    Much more encouraging is the news on Edwards and Keogh. Both have been sorely missed.

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  6. 6
    Pertonwolves85

    This sounds like another Matt Murray in the making…hope not though…would be such a wasted talent!

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  7. 7
    Tomwolf

    Good Luck Kites, hope things go well and speedy for you. The hardest part is getting your head right when you’ve been out so long as every little niggle seems major to you, but once you get back out on that pitch and are running up and down that wing and getting tackled it will all go away hopefully for you Kites,get back playing soon as we’ve missed your assists and more so your GOALS.Also same best wishes to Keogh / Edwards hurry back lads as we are going to need everyone back and fit for the hard run-in awaiting us. UP THE WOLVES

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  8. 8
    Sam green

    Who ever u r saying to sell kights r u mad! May b u should support another team if u want our best players wen fit gone. Get a life. UP THE WOLVES!

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  9. 9
    costa del wolves

    Come on kites !

    Stop being such a wimo we need ya !!

    anybody would of thought he’d broke both his legs the amount of time he’s been off.

    To be honest i ant see him playing any real role this season cos even if he does sort both his knee’s and ankle out, he will never be fit enough for the prem this year.

    Lets hope we dont have another tony daley/Matt Murray

    Anyways all the best kites get well SOON

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  10. 10
    brummierobwolves

    Unlikely we will see him this season and he was a crucial part of the survival fan. The right hand side is a major concern at present. Foley is a very good player but at full back.

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  11. 11
    john

    Kites I wish you a full and speedy recovery but lets be realistic, you’ve played 2-3 games all season, so I think you’ll be ready for next season and not this.

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  12. 12
    Stoke on Trent Wolf

    Save his season, without being too pessimistic what starts off as something relatively minor can turn out to threaten a player’s career. Dean Ashton being a good example. I certainly hope my hunch is wrong.

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  13. 13
    rae r.v.

    Crock,! along with murray! wwfc have to good a sick scheme.

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  14. 14
    spence the singing wolf

    I would’nt risk Kites this season, even if he does get fit, he will need a few games to get match fit, and there is not enough games left this season, he has been missed, specaily playing 4-5-1, as he would have been a better attacking option than what we got now, but i do think it would be better for him and the club for not to rush him back and let him get a good pre-season under his belt, so he will be fresh and hungry for next season, lets just hope he will be playing premiership football for us!

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  15. 15
    St. Louis Wolf

    Shame, he must be gutted. I don’t think he’ll play any further part this year; no point bringing him back unless he’s 100%. What’s worrying is he’s still young, if he’s having these problems with BOTH knees now what’s he going to be like in a few years. Seems like he’ll be talked about in the same breath as Matt Murry “Awesome talent but never reached his full potential due to injury”.
    Ah well, get well soon

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  16. 16
    TheRetroChief

    I doubt we’ll be seeing sicknote again this season. Good job he negotiated a bumper new contract not too long ago. Still, at least he’ll be able bond with Murray. No longer needed anyway, we have a new star who clearly can cut it in the prem. Step up Guediourra.

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  17. 17
    TheRetroChief

    This talk of selling…Who would buy him??? Doubt he’d pass a medical. I can only assume our medical staff have only got as far as biology-101. We seem to be able to turn a stubbed toe into a season threatening injury. Funny how players are fit for pre-season or just before contract renewal. Only to have an unfortunate setback. See George Ndah for details. He was the true master. Kites has a lot to learn. Murray is doing pretty well tho.

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    • Grace

      Fan of the season contender here…………………..

      Fickle

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    • HarrowWulf

      RetroChief – You sir, are a top-class looooser.

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    • Norway Wolf

      Please leave Murray alone. His luck has been dire, but if he can get it together then he is easily the best English goalie.

      At Wolves, we have supported Murray through many injuries, and obviously he has to start proving himself soon, but only an idiot would have got rid of someone with Murray’s fantastic potential. The way Murray commands the box is just awesome, and I wish that Hennessy could do the same.

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    • tasmanian wolf

      fick·le / ˈfikəl/
      • adj. changing frequently, esp. as regards one’s loyalties, interests, or affection.

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      • chris hoggard

        So it has nothing to do with changing opinions due to changing circumstances.Hence most people on here continue to support the Wolves and are not fickle.

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  18. 18
    telford wolf

    I agree only bring him back when he is 100%, he has been a great asset to the club, although to be honest, he has never fully recovered from the injury picked up playing tesco’s two seasons ago

    But on the other hand, what has the club’s medical staff been doing for the season, why don’t we get our injured players seen by top specialists in the first place.

    It just seems that our injured players take far longer to come back even from slight injuries, than those of other teams.

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  19. 19
    The Cullis Dome

    Bad luck, Michael….it’s awful to have a succession of injuries when all you want is to play…..Let’s just hope this tough treatment does the job. Good on Wolves for trying everything!

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  20. 20
    John De Wolf

    This problem should have been addressed in January. We desperately needed a creative winger/midfielder.

    Munjangi wasn’t the answer, lets hope we don’t sign him in the summer.

    One of the main reasons we lack goals is because we don’t create enough chances.

    Kites’ been a revelation since joining us and I hope he gets back fit before the end of the season. He got 19 assists last season and scored what…about 7 goals?

    Let’s just hope if he does get fit, he makes a better go of it than Ebanks! At the moment its hard to say whether Kites will make any difference as he’s hardly played at this level. But i hope he does as he’s been one of my favourite ever players down at the wolves.

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  21. 21
    Tomwolf

    RE-Dont-Get-Your-Hopes-Up, i agree we should have got another top winger in July. I remember talking to Daz Hale and saying we needed cover for Jarvis / Kigthly,as they are our only two wingers in the club and are both injury-prone, i said why dont we try and sign players like Steve Hunt,Adam Johnson or J Pennant even Kriss Commons his reply was Kightly doesn’t get injured or miss many games i wonder if Daz thinks that now MMmmmm ? MM always said ( and i agree with him ) that we need at least 2 players for every position we signed loads of defenders and central midfielders got 5 strikers yet only 2 Jarvis/Kightly wingers so why didnt MM get at least 1 more class winger ? was it because he cant handle Top players ( Hunt/Johnson/Pennant) moaning at him as they would want to play every week too, knowing full well in Micks mind if J/K were fit they would be first choice every week if ‘fit’. As for Matt Murray i think its the biggest loss we’ve ever had as without doubt a fully fit MM would walk into our 1st team best gk we’ve had since Mike Stowell/Paul Jones anyway if he was fit he would have been long gone playing for Man U or Arsenal and playing for England with 50+ caps. GOOD LUCK SATURDAY LADS UP THE WOLVES

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  22. 22
    Norway Wolf

    An honest player with real talent, and my favourite player – a flying winger.

    While others run with the ball, a flying winger can sprint with the ball.

    The continentals, and Arsenal, have dribbling players who play intricate close passes and move play through the centre of the field, but the traditional English flying winger is still the most exciting to watch, and at Wolves we have had some of the best ever.

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  23. 23
    Furzwolf

    No point in rushing him back….I firmly believe we will be in this league next season which will be his chance to help establish us where we belong….UTW

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  24. 24
    Paul Norman

    I can’t believe some of the rubbish posted on here today.
    The fact is that most players suffer some serious injury during their playing days.To some it happens early, others later.Some get over it,others are never the same again.
    Kightly at his best is one of the best wide men we have had at the Mol for years.Only time will tell if he is ever going to be the same again.I wish him a speedy recovery and although I doubt if he will play a part this time,hope that he is fit to start next season, wherever we are playing.

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  25. 25
    minesapint!

    It’s all a smoke screen guys! Why did MM have the pitch narrowed, it helps the opposition NOT US. Kites would not have been so effective on the flank with a noarrow pitch. Maybe thats why Jarvis struggles at home and plays well away! Lets hope Jarvo and the lads do it at the Reebok. COME ON!!!!

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    • chris hoggard

      Widen the pitch and you give top quality Premier midfielders more space .Give top Prem midfielders more space and you open up the game and get hammered.Chelsea’s first goal was due to them exploiting the extra space in midfield due to Foley being caught out of position.I would love to see us playing wingers on a wide pitch.but we need a step up in quality throughout the side to do that and not get beat every week. For the time being I think Mick’s tactics in keeping it tight are spot on.

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  26. 26
    molly knew

    25 – Good point, not sure that it has stopped the oppostion by narrowing the pitch as very few Prem teams play with wingers like we do.

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