Rhys Murphy may be making progress in his return to full fitness, but Dagenham & Redbridge boss Wayne Burnett insists he won’t rush the striker back.

Daggers top goalscorer last season has been out of action since March and has undergone operations on both of his hips.

Surgery has gone as well as possible for the 23-year-old and though Burnett would love the striker to be back in a Daggers shirt for the start of the 2014/15 campaign on August 9, the Victoria Road boss is keen not to put any undue pressure on the former Arsenal man.

“It’s nice to see him back doing some rehab and we hope he can have a speedy recovery,” said Burnett.

“It’ll be nice for him to have been back on the bike doing some work but I feel it will be touch and go whether he’d be ready for the start of the season.

“It’d be unfair on him to put him under an undue pressure to be back for August 9. He desperately wants to be back by then because he loves football and he loves playing for the football club but it’s important that we get him back fully fit when he’s ready and hopefully he’ll be back to the Rhys Murphy we saw before he got injured.”