Newcastle United manager Alan Pardew has revealed that Jonas Gutierrez could be back in the first team by the end of January, if not sooner.
The 31-year-old made his first appearance since April for the club's Under-21 side on Monday having overcome testicular cancer.
The Argentine played for 87 minutes and captained the side to a 4-1 League Cup victory over West Ham United Under-21s, and Pardew was delighted to see him take another major step on his road to recovery.
"I don't think he'll feature in this Christmas period, but certainly by the end of January and into February he'll look to push on," the Newcastle boss is quoted as saying by BBC Sport.
"It's been a long, long road with the diagnosis he had, so we're overjoyed.
"He is fit, it's just getting used to the ball again, seeing a game scenario and getting back up to speed. I don't think it'll take him too long - maybe even quicker than I'm suggesting."
Gutierrez, whose last competitive match came while he was on loan at Norwich City, has scored 10 goals in 177 appearances since joining the Magpies in 2008.
Barney Corkhill
