Blackpool midfielder's injury recovery is progressing well

The midfielder suffered an ACL injury back in March, which has kept him sidelined since.

While the 24-year-old is satisfied with the work he’s done so far, there’s still no timeframe for his return to action.

“It’s going well,” Virtue said.

“I’m probably at the end stage of my gym-only rehab, so I’ve got a good strength basis at the minute and I’m now into the more dynamic movement, shifting my weight quickly.

“Hopefully I can be back out on the grass in the coming weeks.

“You don’t generally look at the long-term picture of being back playing. It’s about hitting those small targets, getting the strength back and making sure that those first days out on the pitch go OK.

“If I continue to hit those targets, then it should go quite quickly. Before I know it, I’ll hopefully be back with the lads training on the pitch.”

Virtue suffered the injury during a 2-0 victory at Oxford United on March 20, which saw Neil Critchley’s men move up to 10th in the table.

The Seasiders would embark on an unstoppable run of form from that point, losing two of the following 13 games to finish third.

“It came at a time when the team was playing well and I felt that I was playing well,” Virtue added.

“We were in a really good moment, so it was disappointing personally for it to happen at that point.

“Once you get the initial news of the injury, it’s obviously quite hard to take, but once you get over that, it goes quite quickly.

“You just have to focus on one thing to the next. You have little targets, which sort of make you forget about the other things going on. That has been keeping me going.

“I’m seeing the progress and feeling better every week.”

Blackpool clinched promotion in style at Wembley in May, as the Seasiders edged past Lincoln City to seal the club’s return to the Championship after a six-year absence.

“It was tough, especially when I got the news about the injury,” Virtue said.

“From then, it was about supporting the lads and watching all the games.

“We were the in-form team going into those play-offs and I couldn’t see many teams beating us.

“Going to Wembley was a bittersweet moment. I was there and achieved my first promotion and was buzzing for all the lads, but I had my own battle at the time.

“I had only recently had my surgery and had all my rehab in front of me.

“While many of the players were preparing to play in the Championship, I was preparing to try and play football again.”

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