El Shaarawy on comeback trail

Milan forward Stephan El Shaarawy has stepped up his recovery from a foot injury and is set to resume full training in the coming weeks.

The Italy international has endured a frustrating campaign thus far due to injuries, and has been restricted to just seven appearances in all competitions for Milan, his last coming in the 0-0 draw with Ajax in the UEFA Champions League group stage in December.

A fractured metatarsal saw him miss two months of action in the early stages of the season and, when that injury failed to heal properly, Milan opted to send the 21-year-old for surgery in December.

However, there appears to better news on the horizon for El Shaarawy after Milan posted an update on his condition on their official Twitter feed.

“Stephan El Shaarawy can begin athletic work with a view to resuming full train with rest of the group in the coming weeks,” the statement read.

El Shaarawy was a prominent figure in Milan’s first-team last season, scoring 16 goals in 37 Serie A appearances.

His recovery will provide a boost to a Milan side that has struggled in Italy’s top flight this term – they currently lie in 11th position, a massive 40 points behind leaders Juventus.