Nigel Pearson has confirmed Ayman Benarous is back on the grass on his long road to recovery but they will remain understandably cautious in his comeback given the reoccurrence of his ACL injury.
The academy product suffered a devastating set-back in December when he ruptured his ACL for a second time as he closed in on his long-awaited return to action, keeping him out for the rest of the season.
Benarous made his breakthrough into the first team during the 2021/22 campaign with his debut coming as a substitute in the 2-1 victory over Barnsley in October 2021. The Bristolian, who has a contract until 2025, went on to make 11 league appearances before rupturing his ACL during a training session at the High Performance Centre 13 months ago.
With centre-back Rob Atkinson out until around November, missing the start of next season as he recovers from an ACL injury, Pearson didn't want to put a timeline on Benarous' potential return. Asked for an update on his situation in his pre-match press conference, the manager responded: "He's back out on the grass again so he's in his rehab x2 and he's coping very well.
"Of course, with an injury like that when he's done it twice now, as he gets closer to nearing full fitness, I suppose the nerves will kick in a little bit.
"But we do everything the best we can to ensure he's well placed to make a full comeback as possible. It's been a tough time for him as with most of these injuries, when they happen they're quite innocuous and he looked fine when he came back from the first one. He just ruptured it not doing a lot.
"It's difficult for him but we'll support him as much as we can. I can't give you an absolute date with him but it's important we don't rush him. Especially it being his second one."
Pearson also spoke about Atkinson's recovery in the wake of the central defender signing a new long-term contract until the summer of 2026. He added: "Rob's had one or two spells in the season where I think he's not been in top form but quite rightly as you say, I think he's shown some signs of his own game developing and that's really important for us.
"It's just a sensible thing for us to protect our assets. It's also I would hope for him a shot in the arm that we would want to extend his contract while he's injured and I think this is the first time he's had a serious injury.
"It will be something for him to reflect on and I'm a big believer in how players can overcome serious injuries can, in the long-term, be quite beneficial. Because it tests their ability, or rather it tests your hunger, and young players in particular when they get injuries, it's all of a sudden you can't take anything for granted.
"Serious injuries can threaten your livelihood. Rob's dealing with it very, very well. He'll be fine."
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