Fennelly will not rush return

Kilkenny's Michael Fennelly does not know when he will be in a position to return from a serious injury.

Fennelly suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon in the All-Ireland semi-final replay against Waterford and underwent surgery to repair the damage ahead of Kilkenny's final defeat to Tipperary.

He is still some way from getting back running and therefore is no sooner to knowing when he will be able to return to training with the Kilkenny hurlers.

"I haven't a clue. It is very difficult to put time on an Achilles. It could be six, seven, eight or nine months depending on the severity of the injury and the healing process," he told the Irish Independent.

"So we won't know until I get running so we probably won't know until March or April really."

Fennelly has struggled with a back injury in recent years and fears the problem could resurface when he returns to training.

"There probably is that but I'm not thinking too much about that. I'm trying to be positive and trying to keep those gains going in the right direction," he said.

"In the last month or two the back hasn't been great either, there has been soreness so I'm looking forward to getting back with the physios and training - once you get the body in good shape its not too bad."

A former Hurler of the Year, Fennelly has three All-Ireland titles with Kilkenny and he admits his desure for another will drive him on in his recovery.

"It's very hard to walk away from that buzz in Croke Park. If I did call it a day today, come Championship you'd be heartbroken, you'd nearly want to avoid going to the games. It's a love for the game and a love for Kilkenny," he said.

"I feel I have another year or so in me."

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