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Will Johnson works on his rehabilitation with a trainer at Timbers practice in Tucson, Arizona on Friday, February 6, 2015. Johnson is recovering from a broken leg.

(Jamie Goldberg/The Oregonian)

Will Johnson leisurely kicked the ball around in a small game of keep away before Portland Timbers training in Tucson, Arizona Friday morning.

But as the Timbers began their warm ups, Johnson and midfielder Diego Valeri went over to the side of the field to do their daily rehab with a team trainer.

Johnson is recovering from a broken right leg and, though the Timbers captain is continuing to make significant progress, Timbers coach Caleb Porter said he is still 4-6 weeks away from being able to re-join training.

"He's making good progress, but these are major injuries, so the final stage is always the toughest to predict," Porter said. "Timeline for him is anywhere from 4-6 weeks to start to be back into training. Then, from there, it's about fitness. It's about psychologically seeing where he's at."

Johnson was not made available to the media on Friday.

The 28-year-old broke his leg seconds into a match at Toronto FC on Sept. 27, 2014.

Timbers midfielder Ben Zemanski replaced Johnson in the lineup after his late season injury and is expected to continue to start as Johnson works his way back to full health.

While Porter has named captains on a game-by-game basis, he has made it clear that he will not name a new permanent team captain to replace Johnson.

Based on the 4-6 week timeline, Johnson could be back in training by the time the Timbers begin the regular season, though he will still need time to get back to match fitness before he is able to return to the lineup.

"When he's ready to play, he'll play," Porter said. "We're not holding him back, but there's a return to play protocol for these injuries that the medical staff has us follow."

-- Jamie Goldberg | jgoldberg@oregonian.com

503-853-3761 | @jamiebgoldberg