Lincoln City defender Lewis Montsma looks set to remain at the club, at least for the time being, despite his deal with the Imps coming to an end.
Montsma’s time at the LNER Stadium has been ravaged by injuries, with the Dutch centre-back suffering two ACL problems, the second of which kept the 26-year-old out for the entirety of last season.
Despite his contract expiring, Montsma has been given a short-term deal at Lincoln City either to secure a longer deal at the club or a move elsewhere once he has regained fitness. The defender has been on the sidelines throughout head coach Michael Skubala’s time at the club, but the Imps boss appears to be open to bringing Montsma back into the first-team picture.
Speaking to BBC Radio Lincolnshire’s Red Imps Club podcast, Skubala said, “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.”
Montsma signed for Lincoln in 2020 and immediately established himself as a fan-favourite with his cultured defending style and penchant for scoring the occasional goal. He netted nine times in all competitions in the 2020/21 season which saw the Imps reach the League One play-off final. The defender has only played 34 times since that season though, with injuries hampering his development. Should he stay fit and return to form, it would be one hell of a revival for the Dutchman.
Writer’s View
This is great news for Lincoln City, with many fans having assumed they’d never see Montsma in an Imps shirt again. Montsma is a classy footballer who would thrive under Michael Skubala’s coaching, and it speaks to what the club think of him, as well as the quality of the player, that he is being seriously considered for a role back in the first-team after near enough three years being consistently injured.
Should Montsma establish himself back in the team at the LNER Stadium, it will only add to the quality at the club and strengthen ambitions ahead of the new season.
