National striker Cornell Glen is banking on the results of an MRI scan on his injured knee a couple weeks ago being some sign that he is well on the road to full recovery and can think about playing the game again within the next couple months.
Whether or not he will be fully ready to take on the rest of CONCACAF at the Gold Cup from June 6 is another question, one which the former LA Galaxy striker prefers to answer some other time.
Glen said on Wednesday that he was undergoing strength work on the injured knee which has kept him out of the game for the last few months, with physiotherapist Michelle Cato as well as personal trainer. But having been waived by Galaxy last month, his next option will be joining a local Pro League team before considering options abroad. One MLS team has expressed interest in him but there was not much more he could relay about that.
“It’s coming along good,” Glen told TTFF Media with a fair amount of optimism in his speech. “I did an MRI a couple weeks ago and it showed no complications. It’s just a case of strengthening it now and getting back out on the field. I have being doing a lot of work in the gym.” His program includes therapy treatment in the morning and gym work in the evening. “It’s a lot of range of motion and strength work,” he added.
He hopes to take the pitch by the end of April.
“I keep pushing the date back because I want to make sure that everything is right. I don’t want to come out before time and then end up on the outside again.”
He witnessed the T&T team coming second in the Digicel Caribbean Cup in January and also saw via television, their defeats to Panama and Costa Rica. Fans would no doubt remember his giant headed goal against the Panamanians at the 2005 Gold Cup in Miami.
Glen though can only hope that progress over the next few weeks allows him to play in another Gold Cup which will have its draw this month.
“The team was made up of a bunch of young guys and they are still gaining experience. The team was lacking a lot of leaders and maybe there needs to be more stability similar to what Dwight and the other senior guys used to do. The team has a lot of talented players but there is a lot of hard work to be done.
“I’m not saying definitely but my aim is to get fit to play in the Gold Cup. If I am not feeling confident enough then I’ll wait until the time is right,” Glen added.