Gillingham midfielder Ethan Coleman on a mission to play part in pre-season as he continues recovery from Achilles injury

Gillingham midfielder Ethan Coleman is determined to make up for lost time as he targets a strong return to fitness ahead of the new season.

The 25-year-old saw his 2025/26 campaign cut short after suffering an Achilles injury during the closing weeks of the campaign, but he has spent the summer working hard on his recovery and is hopeful of joining in fully with pre-season as soon as possible.

Coleman picked up the injury during the Gills’ defeat against MK Dons and immediately knew something was wrong.

“It felt like someone had kicked me,” he said. “I looked behind and nobody was there and that’s when you know there’s an issue.”

While many players have enjoyed a complete break since the end of the season, Coleman has had little opportunity to switch off as he focuses on getting himself back to full fitness.

Despite keeping one eye on his recovery programme, the combative midfielder still found time to enjoy a memorable break with his partner in America.

“In that time I was still working hard on my rehab,” he said. “It’s all good but you can’t completely switch off when you’re injured.

“You have to be in and out of the club over the summer to try and get back as quickly as possible. You want to jump into pre-season with the boys.”

On his trip to the States, he added: “We spent a week in Miami and ended up in a hotel full of referees who were there for the World Cup.

“I didn’t enjoy being around that many referees! I told the missus we needed to get out of there. It was a great trip, though.”

Coleman knows better than most the value of a full pre-season after missing large parts of one two years ago.

“That really made me realise how much you need one, not only for fitness but for sharpness,” he said. “It makes a massive