Rhyss Campbell is hoping to feature later this season
Dungannon Swifts star Rhyss Campbell is set to return before the end of the campaign.
The winger hasn’t played for almost a year after suffering a cruciate knee ligament injury in last season’s Irish Cup semi-final.
However, manager Rodney McAree says the 24-year-old has been making good progress and is finally close to a comeback.
“He’s not far away — he saw the surgeon in the last couple of weeks and it was good news,” McAree said.
“Rhyss is meeting every test that the specialist requires, so hopefully it won’t be too much longer.
“We are realistic — Rhyss is going to need a good four to six weeks of involvement in training before he gets involved in the team.”
Campbell was one of the Swifts’ standout players before his injury setback, and had attracted interest from several top Irish League sides.
McAree said that once fit again, he will be a big asset.
“It’s coming at a good stage too because hopefully we can pick points up between now and the split,” he added.
“If we can have Rhyss for 20 or 25 minutes here or there, we’ll be delighted.”
The return of Campbell will add even more attacking threat to a side which has scored 47 League goals this term — only four other teams have hit more.
Thomas Maguire has also returned from a lengthy lay-off, while Joe Moore was back on the scoresheet in last week’s 2-2 draw against Crusaders.
McAree added: “I was very tempted to start Joe last week. He came on last week, took his goal well and it’s great to see.”
Dungannon’s relegation worries are fading fast, with a nine point cushion over 11th-placed Ballymena heading into the last 10 games.
Instead, McAree’s focus is on catching the teams ahead of them, with Glenavon,
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