Huddersfield Town: Carlos Corberan backs Matty Pearson to come back strongly from injury setback

Back in late autumn, the Terriers’ season was in danger of tailing off – with their away form being a particular issue.

Their response was strong and emphatic by way of a superb 17-match unbeaten league run.

Periodically in the current campaign, they have also had to make do without key personnel for spells including the likes of Jonathan Hogg and Levi Colwill.

Now, they face being without a player who in many ways has been the embodiment of Town’s wonderful defiance in 2021-22 in the shape of Matty Pearson.

The usual length of absence for the defender’s type of knee injury is normally six to eight weeks.

But head coach Carlos Corberan believes that the competitive juices of Pearson are such that he will do everything that is possible to return ahead of schedule - and potentially in time for what everyone hopes will be a play-off campaign.

Corberan said: “His treatment, for a normal player, needs six to eight weeks. But for someone who is a competitive animal (like Pearson), I don’t know how long it is going to take.”

For the time being, Town must make do without Pearson for a short while, starting with Monday’s game against his former club Luton Town.

But if there’s another key facet that the Terriers have shown this season, it is this. They are a team who are greater than the sum of their parts.

Corberan continued: “Unfortunately, these (injuries) are the normal things for everyone.

“They mean that new players arrive and have opportunities. Maybe if we did not have some Covid cases (last summer), we wouldn’t be watching Sorba Thomas right now and the process could have been different.

“Sometimes, the injuries are a big opportunity to show new performances from players to make an impact.”

Pearson’s absence, possibly for the rest of the season if he cannot recover in time, will impact upon a strong and tight dressing room.

But according to vice-captain Lewis O’Brien, it will also harden their resolve.

O’Brien commented: “We are obviously very disappointed to lose Matty. He has been a massive part of our season so far.

“He is a great lad and will be in and around the changing room for us, so it is possibly one of those things where we say: ‘Let’s do it for Matty’ because he has helped us so much this season that we don’t want to let him down at the end of it.”