I don’t buy this idea that it will take players 10-15 games to get match fit, and they have to start with appearances of 10 minutes! Yeah don’t rush players back straight from injury to play 90 minutes straight game after game, but if you’ve trained fully for a few weeks (which involves long runs, shuttle runs, small sided games, and 11 a side training games, don’t forget) then they are pretty fit, they just need say a 30 min sub match appearance to start, then maybe start them and bring them off after 60-70, then they should be able to do 90, just about (with weeks of training inbetween each of these appearances)
As for Thorne, as he says in the OM today he’s been fit for weeks and been training hard, he says he’s as fit as he can be, plus didn’t he play a behind-closed-doors friendly recently?... and the sub appearance against Newcastle... I’m sure, fitness wise, he could start today and then play 60-75 mins.