Hayes set to be fit for start of season
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JONNY Hayes is expected to be fit for the start of the new Scottish Premier League campaign, despite not undergoing a full pre-season.
The Irish winger had surgery on his ankle towards the end of last season having been troubled by the injury since the end of last year.
Hayes is currently doing his rehabilitation with a view to being able to train with the rest of the Caley Thistle squad when they begin pre-season training a week today.
Inverness assistant manager Maurice Malpas, however, expects that the 23-year-old former Reading and Leicester City player will have to undergo a curtailed schedule to begin with in a bid to avoid any potential setbacks.
“Jonny went away on holiday earlier than the rest of the boys, but he was back quickly and straight in to his rehab,” said Malpas of Hayes, who has scored 16 goals in 71 appearances for Caley Thistle since joining the club two years ago.
“When we come back for pre-season, Jonny will be given a schedule that suits us, not him, but I can’t see him doing a full pre-season, particularly over the first 10 to 14 days.
“It might be the case that he does a session with the rest of the team, but then misses one and instead is taken away to do his own thing.
“Jonny will know that he has to gradually build up his fitness. He’ll do bits and pieces, as much as his body will allow him to do without being stupid about it.
"I would expect in the early stages that he’ll be doing a lot of stuff on his own, but we’re still expecting him to be fit for the start of the season.”
