Vaughan in the USA
Norwich City striker James Vaughan has travelled more than 5,000 miles in a bid to step up his recovery from knee surgery.
The 23-year-old, sidelined since September when he injured his knee while appearing as a late substitute in the 2-1 Premier League home win over Sunderland, is in California on a two-week fitness and rehabilitation programme.
While Vaughan’s team-mates prepare to face his former club, Everton, at Goodison Park on Saturday, the Canaries’ �1.5m summer signing has been posting updates on his progress on his Twitter account.
He has flown out to attend the Athletes’ Performance complex in Los Angeles, reporting on Tuesday night: “First day’s training done . . . I had forgotten how good this place actually was. Looking forward to the rest of the training!”
He added later: “To clear up any confusion, I’m not back in full training yet. When I say training I mean fitness and rehab on my knee.”
It is hoped the warm-weather training stint will prove beneficial for Vaughan, who has yet to start a Premier League game for the Canaries. It was on his third brief appearance as a substitute, against Sunderland, that he had to be helped off the pitch towards the end of the game, and he underwent surgery that week.
City have not commented on Vaughan’s trip to the USA, but boss Paul Lambert admitted last week he would be ahead of schedule if he played again before February.
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“Anything before that would be a major bonus but it is not something I am actually relying on,” he said.
Vaughan became the Premier League’s youngest goalscorer in 2005 when, aged 16, he was on target in Everton’s 4-0 win over Crystal Palace.
He became Lambert’s first signing after promotion to the Premier League when he signed a three-year deal in May.
His first City appearance was delayed by a knee injury sustained on the pre-season trip to Germany, and when he made his debut as a substitute against West Bromwich Albion, he suffered a badly split lip, courtesy of a flying elbow from defender Gabrial Tamas.
