John Cartwright has not ruled out a knee operation for Hull FC half-back Jordan Abdull, although such a stance is viewed as a worst-case scenario and last resort. The 28-year-old is currently in rehab after suffering a knee setback in pre-season training with the goal of strengthening the issue before the Challenge Cup and Super League campaigns start next month.

That has seen the player step out of full training, instead working with the club's medical staff to correct the issue. That process was originally hoped to be completed over Christmas and into the New Year, but while Abdull has made some progress, the club is still cautious about the situation and is working hard to ensure the players fitness and health are on point before he resumes full training.

Meanwhile, Cartwright has told Hull Live in an exclusive update that the club is trying to nurse the issue without the need for surgery, which would rule Abdull out for a 'while.' The half has just rejoined Hull FC on a three-year contract from the 2025 season.

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"That's an option," Cartwright said when asked if Abdull would need knee surgery. "That would rule him out for a while, though. We're trying to rehab him and get him right. In the long term, that would be in his better interests to have an operation, but at the moment we're just trying to rehab him."

Cartwright has also confirmed that there is no timeframe for Abdull's recovery and that it is very much a week-by-week process as the player looks to bolster his fitness levels. The head coach continued: "He's still in rehab. It's just going to be a process. He's in the hands of the medical team at the moment. He's doing plenty of training; he's just unable to do a lot of running. He's doing a lot of off-feet con, and he's in the rehab squad.

"It's a week-by-week thing. He's a little bit better this week than he was before he left (for Christmas), but it's just going to be a process. The staff are all working really hard with him, and he's working very hard himself, too. It's just a slow process."

Cartwright also gave an update on the rest of his squad, who returned to training this week after their Christmas break. That has seen the likes of Jack Charles make good progress from a hamstring tear and Davy Litten, who is out until April with an MCL injury, recover from a nasty gym accident on his finger. Elsewhere, Nick Staveley is progressing well off the back of a ruptured ACL, and Brad Fash is on track after an ankle injury ended his 2024 season.

"Our injuries have capped right down from where we left," Cartwright added. "We had some minor niggles, but we've got most of those guys back now. We just had bodies creaking at the end of a very long block of hard training. The ten days off that we've had have really freshened them up. We had the majority of guys out training today, and we're hopeful that by the start of the second week of January, we've got just about everyone back on the field."

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