AMSTERDAM – Bolton midfielder Stuart Holden will return to America early next week for further inspection on his troublesome right knee, manager Dougie Freedman has revealed.
After being pulled less than a half-hour into his reserve team return to action on Monday, the US international will visit go-to knee specialist Dr. Richard Steadman. The Colorado orthopedic surgeon operated on Holden last summer after the 28-year-old suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in the CONCACAF Gold Cup final win over Panama.
"It's disappointing news for us all," Freedman told reporters. "We don't know the exact results [of Tuesday's knee scan] at the moment, but we feel that it's the same injury.
"He's going to fly back to America to see his specialist on Monday. Hopefully, he can read his scans and tell us good news, but if not he will need to go into the knee and have a look at it."
Holden, a summer free agent, has not appeared for the Bolton first team since making a late-season league cameo last April. However, Freedman once again reiterated that Wanderers had no plans to cut their 2010-11 Player of the Season loose.
"He's very positive and no matter what the outcome of this is, he will carry on and keep on going," said the coach. "I want to be very clear to everybody that Stuart Holden will be here in some capacity at this football club – he is such a fantastic lad and is a great ambassador for this football club.
"Stuart will hopefully be fine and will be back playing, but if he's not then he'll be back here during the summer trying to get fit to get back in some capacity."
