Lloyd backing Flintoff

David Lloyd

Former England coach David Lloyd believes Andrew Flintoff’s enforced spell on the sidelines with further ankle problems may benefit the remainder of his career but he has urged the all-rounder to take time to recover properly.

Flintoff has been sidelined once again with a recurrence of problems in his troublesome left ankle and is due to have an exploratory operation this weekend to discover the extent of the injury.

It is expected to keep him out of action for at least six weeks, forcing him to sit out the remainder of the current npower Test series against West Indies and the NatWest series which follow.

But having known 29-year-old Flintoff since he first signed him for Lancashire back in 1994, Lloyd is convinced the enforced spell of inactivity will serve him well - no matter how hard he will find it to rest.

“It’s a terrible shame for him, but it might also help him,” claimed Lloyd, who as England coach also gave Flintoff his Test and one-day international debuts in 1998 and 1999.

“It will help that he’s completely rested because his workload is far greater than anyone else’s.

“He won’t understand that this might just be a blessing in disguise that he will be rested up, refreshed and raring to go when he comes back again.”

Lloyd, now a Sky Sports commentator, is still close to Flintoff and has been described by the Preston-born all-rounder as “a massive influence on my career - almost everything I did during the early parts of my career were to try and impress him”.

Knowing him as Lloyd does, he believes the current setback will have hit Flintoff hard just as he mounted another bid to prove his fitness for next week’s third Test at his beloved Old Trafford.

“I would have thought he is very depressed and frustrated at the minute that he isn’t back because he put a lot of work in when he came back from the West Indies,” claimed Lloyd.

Andrew Flintoff has struggled for fitness in recent weeks

“People don’t probably know how hard he works behind closed doors and this was one of those occasions when he worked his socks off with people like Neil Fairbrother and Mike Watkinson in the nets every day working on his batting.

“It must be very frustrating for him to go through all that and then pick up another injury, but at least the reports are saying that the pain is in a different part of the ankle so I suppose that is a bit of an encouragement for him.”

Lloyd stressed: “Both Glenn McGrath and Shaun Pollock were out for almost a year with this sort of injury and they took a long time out to make sure they were right, but I’m sure he’s been pulled this way and that way on previous occasions when he’s come back.

“This time he can’t make any mistakes and he’s got to be 100% sure he’s right before he comes back and I know what he’s like - he’ll be frustrated as hell at twiddling his thumbs knowing the only thing that’s stopping him is this ankle.

“When you’re out injured it’s a real discipline of mind to wait until you’re really ready and then come back and don’t try and rush things.”