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Watford midfielder Nathaniel Chalobah's recovery will step up a notch next week.

The 23-year-old is expected to start running on grass, according to The Independent, more than five months after he fractured his kneecap .

That put the brakes on a promising start to the season, which had seen him develop a formidable partnership with Abdoulaye Doucoure, break into the England squad and seemingly justify his decision to leave Chelsea in search of regular football.

Originally, Watford said they hoped Chalobah would return to training in December, after having surgery on the injury shortly after it occured.

But it became clear that would be too soon for the midfielder as he continued to split his time between St George's Park - the national training centre - and Watford's London Colney training ground.

Although Chalobah has remained upbeat on social media and posted regular updates, he will be mightily disappointed to see his season ruined by the issue.

He has missed both games with former club Chelsea, as well as falling down the pecking order when it comes to England. It's likely that he would need a incredibly strong end to the season if he wants to break into Gareth Southgate's squad for the World Cup in Russia.

There is still no return date pencilled in for Chalobah, as it is not clear how the knee will cope with running on grass, but it is another step in the right direction.