Collingwood can't confirm a timeline on Jeremy Howe's return from a serious arm injury but the star defender has assured coach Craig McRae he expects to make a swift recovery.
McRae revealed he spoke to Howe before he had surgery to repair his fractured arm on Saturday, the defender claiming he was "a good bone-healer" before he went under the knife.
Howe suffered the injury in a marking-contest collision with Geelong's Tyson Stengle in the Magpies' opening-round win against Geelong.
"I went to the hospital and saw him early in the morning and he was still in his footy shorts and about to have an operation ... he actually said he's a great bone-healer, I don't know what that means," McRae told Fox Footy.
"We're not in a position to make comment yet, there's still a bit to play out ... we'll know more in a couple of weeks.
"He's left hospital today and we'll assess in the couple of weeks where that's at.
"We love him enormously and we want to make sure he's OK."
McRae responded to a News Corp column suggesting Howe had a duty of care to Stengle, who was running back with the flight of the ball before the defender made contact with his knee.
It was claimed Howe's actions could have "busted" Stengle's jaw and cheekbone and left him with long-term brain issues.
"I read that with interest I must admit ... it's the instincts of the player, you're asking a player not to attack the footy hard," McRae said.
"He's one of the greatest exponents of the aerial part of our game.
"So you're asking don't run and launch at the ball, that's something that's really difficult to do.
"We're taught this as kids ... go with the ball hard, the ball is your focus. You watch the footage, the ball was always his focus."
