It’s been a difficult few seasons for England speedster Anthony Watson, with months at a time spent on the sidelines as injuries have blighted his playing time.
His last major injury was back in October 2021 when playing against Saracens for former club Bath, when Watson ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament. Such was the severity of his injury, he never returned to full fitness before the end of the 2021/22 season, making that his final appearance for the west-country side.
Having left Bath in the summer of 2022 in favour of premiership winners Leicester, it was hoped that Watson would make a flying start for the newly crowned champions. Unfortunately for the Leicester faithful, they’ve not seen their new man take to the top stage as of yet, partly down to a minor strain picked up in a pre-season match against Newcastle.
Head coach Steve Borthwick has been cautious about bringing Watson back into the fold too early and causing further injuries. Just a couple of weeks ago Borthwick was quoted by RugbyPass as saying, “Anthony is an incredible player and he has been terrific around this squad, has been brilliant all pre-season and what we want to do is ensure when he steps on that field he is absolutely 100 percent and ready to go – not just ready to go for one game but ready to go for the rest of the season.
“I want all my players playing well all season and for many seasons. That is what I am trying to balance the whole time. Anthony is going well, heading in the right direction and progressing well.”
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Since then it appears that the 28-year-old has progressed well enough to return to first-team duties, with his name appearing on the Leicester teamsheet for their match-up against premiership runners-up Saracens this weekend.
The 51-cap England international is named to start on the wing this weekend, alongside a plethora of international and world-class stars.
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Leicester fans are getting particularly excited by the possibilities of this squad, which has seen a huge turnaround over the past few years.
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