Maidstone United winger Joan Luque facing potential delay in comeback from knee operation

Maidstone winger Joan Luque’s hopes of a January return are in the balance.

Luque was targeting a new year comeback from a knee operation but that will be on hold if a hernia injury he’d been carrying last season requires surgery.

The Spaniard led Maidstone to the National South title, scoring 20 goals from the left wing.

He missed the run-in after suffering a serious knee injury in the win at Dartford in April and had an operation over the summer.

Luque is back in the UK after spending time recuperating in Spain and should soon get a clearer idea of when he’s likely to play again.

Speaking on Saturday, he said: “Probably by the end of next week, we’re going to know if the hernia needs surgery or not.

“If it does, it puts me back a couple of months so instead of January we’re looking at March.

“The knee operation went well, the first month was tough, but it’s good to see the progress.

“I’m walking off crutches and in a month I should be running if everything was going the normal way but we need to see about the hernia.

“I had it in February and was playing with painkillers every game but that’s something that needed to be fixed as well.

“Obviously, you prioritise the knee operation, which is bigger and longer.”

One thing’s for sure - Luque will do everything he can to pull on a Maidstone shirt this season.

The easy option would be to write off the campaign and come back for pre-season.

But while his doctor is urging caution, he’ll take a risk if the Stones have something to play for.

“If it’s a case of playing for the last month, I will risk it, especially if the team is playing for something important,” said Luque.

“If they’re mid-table, not going for the play-offs and not in danger of going down, then it might not be