Wolves star lines up shock return

Wolves winger Michael Kightly is on course for a shock early April return.

The England under-21 midfielder is ahead of schedule after keyhole surgery a fortnight ago and is now targeting a comeback in time for Wolves' trip to promotion rivals Bristol City on April 12.

After reporting no pain on his ankle after an intensive rehab programme Kightly believes he could be back in training in three weeks.

That recovery timetable will depend on him maintaining his rapid progress, but Kightly is confident he can do that after another good week in the treatment room.

"It's going really well at the moment – I couldn't ask for any better," the Wolves winger said.

"If things continue to go as well as they have I'm confident I'll be back in training and available for selection at the start of April in three weeks' time – bang in time for the end of the season.

"I've been working myself really hard since the start of the week and so far I've had absolutely no pain on it whatsoever and that's been a big boost.

"The rehab programme has me down for another week of hard work in the gym and pool before I start running on it, but in all honesty I feel like I start doing that now."

Initially, his injury diagnosis was bleak but because the club opted for keyhole surgery rather than a more invasive option it has taken eight weeks off his potential recovery time.

"I thought I was going to cut open quite a bit and that would have definitely been the end of my season, but I only ended up having keyhole surgery which has a much quicker recovery time.

"It has cut the recovery time by six to eight weeks and that has given me real hope of playing before the end of the season."