Gavin Henson is facing a long battle to rescue his rugby union career and is unlikely to play again this season after losing three stones in weight since taking a year out from the Ospreys.
The club are due to meet Henson, who has not played for nine months and is on unpaid leave from the region, for the first time since August to discuss his future. And despite leaving the door open for a return, the Wales and Lions centre has been warned it will take a lengthy period of physical and mental training to get him back to the top level.
Ospreys players who met Henson last month said he was down to nearly 11st, compared to his playing weight of 14st 7lb, having spent little time in the gym since taking time away from rugby in frustration at a catalogue of injuries that blighted him from 2005.
The Ospreys managing director, Mike Cuddy, would like Henson to return in time for the knockout stage of the Heineken Cup after the Six Nations, should the region qualify for the quarter-finals, but he would face weeks of conditioning work before being able to start playing again at club level.
"Gavin has been out for a long time and he would have to ease his way back in," said the Ospreys coach, Sean Holley. "Rugby changes so quickly these days that it takes time for a player to get back to near where he was after a prolonged absence.
"I remember when we signed Leigh Davies [the former Wales centre] in 2005. He had taken a year out of the game, and while he was able to get his fitness and conditioning back to where they were, he struggled to get to grips with the way rugby had moved on even in the relatively short time he had been out and it did not work for him.
"I am not saying that would be the case with Gavin. He would be able to get his weight back on and his fitness up to scratch, but after that who knows? Gavin has kept the door open by keeping up his drug testing schedule. In terms of natural talent, he is as good as anyone in the game today, but he will almost be starting from scratch again."
The Scarlets director of rugby, Nigel Davies, who coached Henson at national level four years ago, said a successful return would hinge on the player's state of mind. "People do not appreciate just how hard players have to work in today's game," he went on. "They spend hours and hours every week on their fitness and conditioning and Gavin will have to want to go through all that again.
"He can get back to his playing shape and weight, but after taking nearly a year out, the question would be how much he wanted to play rugby again. The game demands everything and talent alone, even Gavin's, is not enough. It comes down to desire."
Cuddy has maintained frequent contact with Henson since the centre's decision last August to go on unpaid leave. "We will sit down in early February to discuss his future," he said. "A lot of things have been said about Gavin and most of them are nonsense. We will have a chat and see what comes of it."
