Cambridge hoping for swift Ball return

Dom Ball first played for Cambridge United during a 2015 loan spell

Cambridge United midfielder Dom Ball will be out of action for about a month following knee surgery.

Ball suffered a torn meniscus playing for Ipswich Town during the 2022-23 season and admitted last month that he was still having to carefully manage the situation with his knee.

He went off during Cambridge's 3-0 FA Cup first-round win over non-league Chester on 1 November.

"People say 'hang on, he played 75 minutes last week and he was excellent' but he's got an issue with a meniscus in his knee that absolutely flared up out of nowhere on Saturday during the second half, that's why we took him off as a precaution," boss Neil Harris told BBC Radio Cambridgeshire.

"He got up on Sunday morning in real agony and had to have an emergency op on Wednesday. When you say 'emergency op' it sounds horrific, it's not, it was keyhole surgery, a clean up operation.

"You'd expect a player to be back within four weeks - it could become five, it could become three, we're in the lap of the gods as how quickly that settles.

"Dom is adamant he's going to be back sooner rather than later."

Ball has made 16 appearances since signing for the U's in the summer, 12 of them in League Two - all starts.

He was not involved in Saturday's goalless draw with Salford City which left them 12th in the table, just three points outside the play-off places.