Medical expert: Gilmour has returned to Chelsea and could miss ‘six weeks’ after update today
Billy Gilmour could be out of action for Norwich City for as long as six weeks after he returned to parent club Chelsea for treatment.
That is the view of injury expert Ben Dinnery, who runs the Premier Injuries site and has a background in medicine and data analysis.
Gilmour, who is on loan at Carrow Road for the season, has not featured since the Canaries’ 3-0 defeat to Crystal Palace last month (28 December).
As quoted by the Daily Mail last Tuesday (11 January), Dean Smith revealed the 20-year-old midfielder had returned to Chelsea for assessment.
Speaking to club media today (20 January), the Norwich boss admitted he hoped Gilmour would return for the “next game against Wolves”.
Smith’s side face Watford tomorrow (21 January), with Wolves their next opponents after the winter break on 5 February.
Dinnery analysed Gilmour’s return to Chelsea and delivered his own verdict on when the Scotland international might be back in action.
“He’s their player, they own him,” he told Football Insider’s Adam Williams.
“It makes sense with the medium-term injuries where they want to get the inside line and check everything over.
“They’ll speak to the player and he’ll have a little bit of treatment at Chelsea.
“After that, he’ll go back to Norwich to carry on that rehabilitation programme. That’s pretty much par for the course.
“With a high ankle sprain, the data indicated that it can be around four to six weeks.
“We’ll see where we are with that after the winter break. He shouldn’t be too far away after that.”
Gilmour has struggled since his arrival in Norfolk, registering one assist in 14 appearances.
Norwich are 18th in the league table with 13 points after 21 games.
In other news, ex-Fifa official issues verdict after analysing controversial De Bruyne footage from Chelsea clash.