Gosling joined the Magpies in the summer from Everton but has yet to make an appearance for the promoted Premier League side after suffering a cruciate ligament problem at the tail end of last season. Hughton admits the England Under-21 international is making steady progress and expects the 20-year-old to begin light training in the next few weeks. But the Toon chief has told the summer signing to forget any aspirations to return before the New Year. He said in the Chronicle: "Dan's rehab has been going very, very well. I have been delighted with him from that perspective. "There have been no setbacks, which you sometimes have with this type of injury, and he is very much on course to be back when we originally thought he would be. It is a long injury and he will be delighted. "There is not really a chance of him coming back before the end of the year - not that I am aware of at the moment." Gosling has struggled to cope with seeing his team-mates in top flight action since joining the club in a controversial switch from Everton in the summer. The Brixham-born midfielder was snatched from Goodison Park amid some acrimony from the Toffees, but has not been able to kick a ball in anger since. Hughton reckons the lengthy spell on the sidelines will have been tough for the 20-year-old, but has told him not to worry about a date for his comeback. The manager added: "It has been very frustrating for him. "He is only a young lad and it has been a long, long time out for him. "Plus, he is at a new club and he probably wants to go out there and prove what he can do. "You cannot do that if you are injured like he is, and that is annoying. "There is no rush for Dan to come back. We will make sure he is absolutely ready before we risk him."
