Nigel Pearson has confirmed Kal Naismith will miss his fifth consecutive game against Reading on Saturday with a calf injury.
The City manager was hoping to have him back in the frame for the trip to Paul Ince's side after hobbling off against Coventry on October 4. The initial diagnosis for his injury was 10 days but it appears his recovery is taking longer than initially expected.
Naismith, 30, had been an ever-present in the back three prior to his injury but his absence has provided an opportunity for Timm Klose to stake his claim at the back. The Swiss veteran is grasping his chance having impressed in his last three league starts since returning to the side.
Aside from Naismith and the long-term absences of Kane Wilson and Ayman Benarous, the manager will have a fully fit squad to choose from on Saturday after Matty James returned to the fold against West Brom.
Once the former Luton man does return, Klose's current form alongside Zak Vyner and Rob Atkinson and Tomas Kalas' comeback from a long-term injury is likely to give the manager a welcome selection dilemma. However, he admits it's not worth contemplating while it remains a hypothetical scenario.
Ahead of Saturday's game, he said: "He (Naismith) won't be available for this game but he's making progress. There's nothing different from the other night so we're fine on that front.
"It will be interesting to see whether when he's fit, everyone else will be fit. It's alright speculating what will happen when everyone's fit but because of the nature of this league it's very rare that happens but he's making progress and it will be great to have him available."
Pearson also spoke about Kalas' return to action and the process of him finding his fitness after seven months on the sideline. The centre-back made his highly-anticipated return to action in the 2-1 defeat at Millwall as a substitute, where he was at fault for their winner, before briefly featuring at West Brom on Tuesday.
The manager admitted they still have to run caution due to the severity of his knee injury but remains delighted to have him in the frame even if a start is not on the immediate horizon.
"He's been out for a long time, a long, long time," Pearson added. "He's going to have to get used to how his knee feels.
"He's an interesting individual. He enjoys being what he is and that's a bit odd but he's a really good guy who is a committed player. You don't have to question his commitment when he's on the pitch.
"You don't find your timing immediately. It doesn't matter how experienced you are.
"The type of injury that he's had is basically one that has developed over a long period of time and he's had excessive football exposure being an international.
"He's worked hard to get back and it's good to have him available. Even at West Brom, when you look at the types of players we had on the bench, we were able to use some real experience just to see the game through really.
"The way we ran the clock down, in the past we have been guilty of throwing points away but I thought we did it really well. But Tomas, firstly he's got to do enough to warrant being selected to start. The three lads who were in there the other night did really well."
While Kalas is back among the matchday squad, Wilson suffered an incredibly cruel blow following the defeat at home to QPR after it transpired a knee operation will keep him out of action for four months. It's hugely frustrating for the summer signing who has yet to kick-start his Robins career since making the step up from League Two.
Having yet to make his first league start in new colours, Pearson admitted Wilson has been knocked back by the news but backed him to make a successful recovery with the club and players providing that support network.
He added: "It's knocked him back of course he has because he came here with high expectations. And he was really having a good pre-season.
"So he's had to deal with not starting and when he's been able to get some appearances to pick up an injury or to develop an injury which is... he's going to be out longer than we all hoped he would be let's put it like that.
"But he's going to have to deal with it and we will help him deal with it so first and foremost it's about making sure the physical recovery is as good as it can be and then, of course, he just needs the support. Every player is different, their needs are different.
"He's popular with the players. He's never far from the group of players who are laughing so he'll be okay and we'll make sure he's okay."
SIGN UP: For our daily Robins newsletter, bringing you the latest from Ashton Gate
READ NEXT
