"Potentially" - Shrewsbury Town boss offers hope over Luca Hoole injury return

Luca Hoole could “potentially” return for Shrewsbury Town before the end of the season after stepping back onto the grass in his recovery.

Hoole is recovering from an ankle injury sustained just before half-time in Town’s heavy defeat to Walsall in late February.

The 23-year-old has been one of Salop’s standout performers during a difficult campaign, and boss Gavin Cowan is encouraged by his progress.

He said: “He's still some way off yet, it's a nasty one that he got.

“That Walsall game was horrible for us in many ways because we lost Josh Ruffels for four games.

“We lost Luca for a big part of the season, if not all the season, and obviously, we also lost on the day. It probably hurt us more than what people realised.

“But we'd like to see him back soon. He's running on the grass, which is great, but very tentatively.”

Cowan has previously said Town would be fortunate to have the defender available again before the campaign ends.

However, when asked if there is a chance Hoole could feature again this season, he added: “Potentially. But, it's one of those that you just can't rush. It will just heal itself.”

Meanwhile, Tom Sang is also back on the grass but remains sidelined with a hamstring injury. The midfielder was forced off before half-time at Newport County last month.

“(He’s) still not quite right,” Cowan said. “I've been quite vocal - I feel like he's probably all-round been one of our highest performers.

“He's been a big blow, as was Ruffels and Luca.

“I am not sure when he'll be back. We have to be really careful and we have to be fair to him as well. Going into the summer, we want to make sure that he's ready to go.

“With a hamstring, it's always best to err on the side of caution.”

Salop welcome Oldham Athletic today (April 11) as they look to secure their League Two safety.

Cowan confirmed there were no other fresh injury concerns ahead of the clash, as of before training on Friday morning.

He added: “We tried to get them away a little bit earlier on Thursday, because the long trip in the week, getting back at four in the morning is not ideal.

“So yes, rested up, they look sharp and ready to go.”