Bristol Rovers defender Lewis Gibson could miss the next two games with a minor calf tear, Joey Barton has revealed.
The centre-back missed the 2-2 draw with Morecambe on September 3 and was ruled out of today's (Saturday) trip to MK Dons before it was postponed following the death of Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday.
The EFL is yet to confirm the schedule for the week ahead, but Rovers are slated to travel to Ipswich Town on Tuesday before hosting Lincoln City at the Mem on Saturday. Should those games go ahead as planned, Gibson's involvement is in doubt.
The 22-year-old, who is on a season-long loan from Everton, has shown glimpses of his classy style as a ball-playing, left-sided defender in his four appearances, but Rovers are managing him cautiously due to his previous injury record. A spell at Sheffield Wednesday last term was marred by injury and he played just 19 senior games in the past two seasons.
His absence compounds Barton's defensive shortage, with James Connolly and James Gibbons recovering from stress fractures and out until October, although the manager has been impressed by Luca Hoole, Alfie Kilgour and Bobby Thomas' showings so far.
"We thought he had a calf bruise," Barton said. "He got kicked in the calf and had a lot of blood in there and swelling. It’s just rumbled on and on and he ended up getting a secondary scan which has shown a minor tear.
"Obviously, because of his previous history, we’re keen not to rush him back. It would be foolish. It’s not a bad prognosis, he’s maybe a week away, but he’s disappointed because he gets his first decent stint and has to miss another little spell. The problem for us is getting him out on the grass and that has been the problem his whole career. He is clearly a talented boy."
Josh Grant, meanwhile, has made just one appearance for Rovers this season due to a niggling knee injury. Barton has never concealed his admiration for the 23-year-old, describing him as his "favourite player" at the club last season, and he believes the former Chelsea prospect can make a big impact when he can piece together a run of games.
"It’s like London buses," Barton said of Rovers' injuries in defence. "You have an abundance of players in one area and no-one can get a game in on position, and then dominos fall and a couple pull up with knocks and niggles.
"This summer has been strange for centre-halves. We haven’t really had a full complement at any point. We had to replace Nick because of what happened to him and we get them in the building and then one goes down and the next minute another goes down. We’ve got to police that.
"Josh Grant is another who I think can play centre-half, certainly as he goes on. His versatility to us is massive. We’ve missed him all season, really."
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