Blackburn Rovers boss Tony Mowbray has provided an update on Ben Brereton Diaz, Reda Khadra and Sam Gallagher ahead of Nottingham Forest's visit on Wednesday.
The former Forest striker Brereton Diaz had come on as a second-half substitute in the Rovers' 1-0 defeat to Swansea last Saturday.
He had only landed back in the UK 48 prior to the match in the south west of Wales after representing Chile in their latest World Cup qualification match.
The 22-year-old had been playing at a high altitude, with the the venue of Chile's fixture against Bolivia Estadio Hernado Siles, being located at an altitude of 3,605m (11,824ft) above sea level, and being one of the highest football stadiums in the world.
"He said to me that he was alright, he said he was fine," he told LancsLive as he explained why he came on late in the game.
"And yet I spoke to their sporting director and he said he'd played at altitude twice and he was gasping, struggling on his legs.
"I have to protect Ben Brereton a little bit. He's not a robot, he can't play today after flying halfway around the world and playing on Wednesday and then on Saturday. He will break down."
Meanwhile Gallagher who had a collision with Tom Lockyer during the clash with Luton Town, had to miss out on the trip to Swansea.
The striker will be reassessed ahead of Wednesday's clash.
"I hope Gallagher’s not far away, I hope [Tyrhys] Dolan’s not far away, Brereton Diaz is back from international duty and Khadra’s about ready as well," the Rovers boss said.
"They are four names who will help us because it’s been tough for us to score without strikers.
"Sam’s got another scan this afternoon and we won’t know whether he’ll be ready for Wednesday night until those results.
"If they’re positive then there’s a chance we could stick him on the bench.
"We need players back, we need options."
