American striker Clint Dempsey, who sustained moderate damage to a ligament in his right knee during a game on Jan. 17, expects to return by mid-March. (Phil Cole/Getty Images)Clint Dempsey says he will be back in action for Fulham by mid-March.
The American attacker has been sidelined since injuring his right knee in a 2-0 Premier League loss to Blackburn on Jan. 17.
Dempsey said Thursday he is running freely in training and building up the strength of the knee before resuming contact training.
"I don't know exactly the protocol for that but I know I'll start touching the ball on Friday, which is tomorrow," Dempsey told The Associated Press. "Obviously, I'm looking forward to that."
Dempsey's injury initially seemed to threaten his involvement in the World Cup. The U.S. plays England on June 12 in its World Cup opener before meeting Slovenia six days later and finishing the first round against Algeria on June 23.
Dempsey could return for the second leg of Fulham's third-round Europa League matchup against Juventus on March 18. In their first season of European competition, the Cottagers advanced Thursday with a 1-1 tie at Shakhtar Donetsk, the last UEFA Cup champion.
He will miss Wednesday's U.S. exhibition at the Netherlands but may link up with the team in Amsterdam. It will be the latest gathering of the American players before training camp in mid-May.
Dempsey said he had kept in regular contact with fellow U.S. forward Charlie Davies during his rehabilitation from injuries sustained in a car crash in October. But Dempsey said their conversations had not centred on comparing injuries.
"That's the last thing you want to focus on, but I know he's doing well," Dempsey said. "He's doing jogging and doing some fast feet work, and hopefully he'll be fit."
