Matt Murray is set to be fit for the start of pre-season training with Wolves to end another nightmare year.

The keeper, who suffered damage to his cruciate knee ligament, started running yesterday with a view to making the club’s pre-season tour of Scotland.

“I went to see the specialist a week last Tuesday and the surgeon was really happy with it,” said the 27-year-old. “They took the tiniest bit of fluid off my knee, but nothing serious.

“He just put an injection in and now I’m kicking on again with the weights trying to get muscle on these chicken legs of mine!

“I started running yesterday, then it’s just loads of plyometrics to get my spring back and then hopefully I can do a bit of handling again.

“That will be great because by the end of July I will have been out for a whole year.

“I should have been fit for March. I’d still have worked hard through the summer and been flying for pre-season.

“Now my aim is to play games hopefully by the pre-season in Scotland, and if the gaffer wants me to play, then great. I’d like to be as involved in pre-season as much as possible.”

Murray revealed he played the 2006/2007 season without a cruciate ligament.

“I think the knee is stronger. The specialist thinks I may actually have been playing for quite a while with no cruciate or very little cruciate,” said the giant keeper.

“Having a cruciate now and being able to straighten the knee fully should help and he said the cartilage is very good.

“So fingers crossed, I can get the strength back and get my sharpness back, and there’s no reason why I shouldn’t be better than I was before.”