It seems as though Lewis Montsma has taken up the option of remaining with the club during pre-season if comments from head coach Michael Skubala are interpreted correctly.
Montsma missed all of last season with an ACL injury, his second during his time with the Imps and the third of his career. His contract was up at the end of the season, and he was offered a short-term deal over the summer.
The intention is to give him a platform to regain fitness, and either prove himself worthy of a longer deal with us, or have a platform to secure something elsewhere.
Speaking to the Red Imps Club podcast this afternoon, Imps head coach Michael Skubala seems to suggest that not only is Lewis staying for the moment, but as far as he’s concerned, he’s not making up numbers or putting himself in the shop window – he’s very much a part of a squad fighting for a place in the team.
“Proud of the club with what they’ve done with Lewis,” Michael said to BBC Radio Lincolnshire’s Michael Hortin.
“I think that’s really good, to look after him, because I know he was one hell of a footballer, there’s no doubt about that.”
Not only did he pay tribute to the club looking after Montsma, who signed his last deal shortly after his first ACL with us, but our head coach also suggested that now he was in the fold, he was being viewed as a possible first team starter.
“Now that’s sorted with the club, I’m looking at him as a footballer; all I’m interested in is what he can do for the club as a footballer.
“Once he’s crossed the line to stay here for however long he stays, I’m going to treat him like everyone else, and he’s going to be fighting for a position at this club to try to play.
“Let’s see if he can do that and if he has a good pre-season. Let’s be really clear: now that’s sorted, he’s gonna be looked at as one fighting for a position.”
This is great news from an Imps perspective. Montsma burst onto the scene at the start of the 2020/21 season, with a flurry of goals for the club. It raised hopes that he might be a player we sold for a big amount, but that was curtailed a year later. After a bitty start to the 2021/22 season, he did his ACL against Oxford, and missed 12 months of action.
He returned in Feb 2023, but only briefly, and was injured after just eight outings, coming off as we lost 2-1 to Fleetwood. He’s not been seen in an Imps shirt for 16 months, but it sounds like there might be light at the end of the tunnel.
Here’s hoping the Lewis Monstma we saw in 2020/21 is still there, because if he is 90% of the player he was then, he’ll be like a new signing for us this coming season.
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