Palace boss Kaminski provides comprehensive injury update ahead of Chelsea – with detailed explanation of Elise Hughes’ ACL return

BY ANDREW MCSTEEN

Crystal Palace Women’s manager Laura Kaminski has updated on the health of her squad as the Eagles prepare to open their Women’s Super League (WSL) home campaign at Selhurst Park on Friday night against big-hitters Chelsea.

Influential striker Elise Hughes is back training on grass, marking an important milestone in her recovery from an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury suffered at the end of last season.

The Welsh international ruptured her ACL in April, missing the Championship title-winning game at Selhurst Park against Sunderland, but ended up with the league golden boot as top-scorer and Crystal Palace Women’s 2023-24 Player of the Season.

However, just five months later, Kaminski revealed that the 23-year-old is progressing well.

“She’s in great shape. I’m told constantly by Elise how strong she is in the gym, how she’s beaten her scores and how well her rehabilitation process is going,” said Kaminski.

“She’s in a good place. She’s got back on the grass. She’s out of the gym now and out in fresh air, which is a pleasure to see.

“She’s a team player, and she wants to help her team-mates and be part of it, but it can be difficult on days when you’re in the gym and you’ve got your physical condition to focus on. 

“We’ve kept her in and around the group as much as possible, but she wants to come back fighting stronger than when she left – and that’s the sort of elite mentality that Elise has.

“I’m not going to say a date as such because it’s her journey and the way she responds to the final stages of her rehab.

“An ACL recovery is nine to ten months, or it could be longer, if the player requires. We’ve done a lot of statistical measures on Elise to make sure that she is in fantastic condition. Now, everything is progressing as it should be, but it’s a massive step from the conditioning of a gym to the outside, on grass. Things can fluctuate a little bit, and she knows that.

“She’s in, what I would say is a pivotal stage of rehabilitation. Now she’s moved from inside the condition of the gym to the outside in terms of running, so she gets to see the green stuff again. That’s a big turning point for her.

“This is a big phase in terms of going from the inside of a restricted gym and the movements that she’s been focusing on in that environment to the outside, which is obviously now she’s running on grass. 

“We need to be very careful with her in these stages and make sure that she’s completing everything correctly. She’s done really well with her rehabilitation. She’s on track, she’s on course, and it really is a credit to her professionalism as an athlete.

“Elise really takes her body very, very seriously, and I already know that she’s smashed a lot of targets and scores that we’ve set for her. She’s coming back stronger and fitter than when she left us before.”

Summer signing from Everton Katrine Veje is available for tomorrow’s clash.

The Danish international defender was subbed off after 64 minutes following some half-time fitness work in the 4-0 opening day loss at Spurs on Sunday.

“Katrine could play for 200 minutes plus,” added Kaminski. 

“She’s extremely hungry to play. There’s an ongoing issue that we’re managing, but I don’t see any problems with just being careful. 

“Katrine’s fit to play and feature throughout the entire season. Rather than us getting out the blocks too early, we’re just being cautious with her and making sure we do things properly with care and welfare. 

“I expect Katrine to be fine – there’s no issue. It’s just an ongoing management of her minutes.”

Hayley Nolan and Shanade Hopcroft were two mainstays of the title-winning side from last season.

“Shanade picked up a small issue during the summer, which we’ve been managing in the preseason period, and we’ve had some treatment completed, which she’s reacted very positively to,” explained Kaminski.

“She’s back out on the grass and is part of the team session, while Hayley has been struggling with an ongoing shoulder issue, which she picked up in preseason. 

“She’s had a procedure on the shoulder and there will now be a period of rehabilitation after the procedure to make sure that she is fit and ready to go when she returns.”

In other team news Chelsea loanee Jorja Fox has returned to her parent club after suffering an ACL rupture, while Brooke Aspin – who was sent off for two bookable offences on Sunday – is ineligible to play against her parent club.