Friday Nov 03 2006 14:50
Bristol Rovers boss Paul Trollope insists he will not rush Rickie Lambert back into first-team action.
The 25-year-old midfielder has managed only a handful of appearances since arriving at the Memorial Stadium from Rochdale earlier in the season.
Injury and illness have interrupted his brief stint with the League Two club, but Trollope still believes his £200,000 signing will prove to be a good acquisition.
"When we first pulled Rickie out of the team it was because of his basic fitness and he's also been ill with flu," he told the club's official website.
"He's since picked up a slight thigh strain in training which has been a bit of a concern, but he's gradually been improving.
"We've now got him working with the physio and with the fitness coach to improve his all-round fitness and get him back to how he should be.
"We want him fit and raring to go because, at the moment, we have a proven goalscorer in the treatment room and that's not where we want him."
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