BUOYANT Olly Morgan is winning his battle against knee surgery rehabilitation.
The luckless full-back has been sidelined since tearing knee ligaments in Gloucester's 21-15 Worcester defeat on January 7.
Team-mate James Simpson-Daniel said 26-year-old Morgan has turned the corner in his fitness battle – and has 'got the hunger back'.
Gloucester rugby director Nigel Davies said the Kingsholm club will give Morgan every helping hand to make it back onto the field.
Morgan dislocated his shoulder in Gloucester's 41-41 draw at Leicester on Saturday, April 16, 2011.
He battled back to full fitness for the start of last term – only to wind up suffering another long-term blow at Sixways this January.
After dealing with a seriously tough time though, he is hitting a more positive frame of mind.
Simpson-Daniel explained: "He's got the hunger back and it's great to see.
"It's only natural with an injury like this that there will be dark times – anyone pretending otherwise is kidding themselves.
"But Morgs has handled all of that really well, and now he's got that edge back.
"He's been working hard in the gym and he looks pretty big, and he's been working hard on his passing.
"When a player gets to that stage you know they are making good progress, and that's what everyone wants to see.
"We're not putting pressure on him, but we're behind him every step of the way and we can't wait to see him back on the field."
Morgan might be ready for a playing return in January – but Gloucester boss Davies said he is under no pressure for a fast return.
Davies said: "In the last five to six weeks he's been making good progress, he's walking around, starting to pass a ball.
"It's a lot more positive than it was previously.
"It's a particularly nasty injury, it's not straightforward in terms of recovery, there's quite a few elements to it.
"But he's been fantastic, it's very difficult to keep your head up, but he's done that very well, and all credit to him really.
"He's been part of the unit groups where we've looked at the opposition and ourselves, and he's added a great deal to that.
"There's no time limit or pressure on his return, we're just playing it week by week.
"He's been so positive though that you've got to admire that.
"Like anybody that's going through a potentially career-threatening period, it's very hard to stay positive.
"But full credit to him, he's done that very well.
"We'll keep supporting him as much as we possibly can, and fingers crossed we'll see him back on the field soon."
