Charlton Athletic reveal expected return date after Miles Leaburn blow | OneFootball

Charlton Athletic's promotion hopes have been dealt a significant blow after they revealed that striker Miles Leaburn will be ruled out for up to five months of the 2023-24 season.

The 20-year-old striker hobbled off against Cheltenham Town in midweek clutching his hamstring ater stretching for a ball in the first half, with Michael Appleton confirming that he would go for a scan.

However, the assessment was not what the Addicks hoped for, and after it revealed a tear, Leaburn has quickly undergone successful surgery to repair the damage.

It will leave Leaburn out until May 2024 though, the London club have confirmed, which could be the end of Charlton's season if they do not make the play-offs, so whether or not the youngster is seen in an Addicks shirt again remains to be seen.

Leaburn has had a rapid rise in senior football since making his debut at the start of the 2022-23 season for the Addicks, following on in the footsteps of his father Carl, who was also a striker at the club and scored 53 league goals for them.

In his debut season at first-team level last year, Leaburn Jnr physicality despite being such a young age meant he was more than a match for most League One defenders, and by the end of his first campaign he had scored 13 times in the third tier, which at one point included a streak of five goals in four appearances.

The arrival of Alfie May over the summer though from Cheltenham Town has added competition up-front and has meant that at times, Leaburn has had to be shuffled out to the wing, but in recent weeks, Michael Appleton had managed to fit both May and Leaburn into the starting 11 with the latter leading the line.

And whilst he hadn't scored in League One action since October 21, Leaburn still had racked up seven goals and three assists in 18 appearances in all competitions this season before his unfortunate setback.

There is also the chance that Charlton may have now missed out on a significant January transfer windfall if they decided on a valuation for the striker that was matched.

Which clubs have been interested in a transfer for Miles Leaburn?

Leaburn was the subject of transfer interest over the summer, and the club's new owners rejected a bid worth £3 million from a top flight German club in that time.

However, transfer interest has increased in Leaburn since the transfer window shut, and ahead of the market re-opening in January at the start of 2024, Premier League clubs were starting to be linked.

The South London Press reported in late October that both Brentford and Chelsea - the latter who released Leaburn as a teenager - were both keen on the towering striker in the upcoming window, but that interest will now be expected to be shelved until perhaps the summer.

Charlton however are in no desperation to sell their prized asset, with his contract at The Valley running until the summer of 2025 as of right now.