Cambridge United midfielder Gary Gardner struggling with toe injury that is hampering recovering from Achilles problem

Cambridge United have provided an update on the fitness of Gary Gardner.

The midfielder is yet to feature for the U’s following his arrival on a two-year contract from Birmingham City during the summer.

The 32-year-old was initially sidelined by an Achilles injury and has since had his recovery hampered by a toe problem.

Writing in the matchday programme prior to Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Barnsley, Cambridge’s head of medical Ryan Meredith said: “This week I wanted to offer a more detailed update on Gary Gardner, as I know there has been some speculation surrounding his absence from the team.

“During pre-season, Gary picked up an Achilles tear, which he was recovering well from during the early stages of the season. Unfortunately, during this process, he began to feel a strong pain in his big toe, and we discovered that the sesamoid bone on the underside of the toe joint became severely inflamed.

“This has become extremely painful for him and has meant that he has been unable to do the work required to recover from the Achilles injury.

“The most important thing for Gary at the moment is that we rest his foot, so that the bone settles, the inflammation goes down and so that he is able to reconvene his Achilles rehab.

“He is still working on his cardiovascular fitness and gym-based strength, and thankfully is reporting small improvements to his foot symptoms. We will be aiming to increase his loading within the next two weeks.”