Nigel Pearson has provided further insight into the severity of Tommy Conway's injury by declaring he could be out of action anytime between six and 10 weeks.
The striker limped off during the first half of the FA Cup game with Swansea at Ashton Gate just over three weeks ago with Andi Weimann also leaving the field in the final few minutes with a hamstring problem. Pearson ruled the Austrian out for "two to three weeks" but initially couldn't provide a timeline on Conway's recovery only suggesting he would be sidelined for "a bit longer."
Pearson eased concerns that the 20-year-old would avoid surgery but suggested the injuries to the duo would change his short-term focus in the transfer market. Conway is the club's joint top-scorer this season alongside Nahki Wells with nine goals in all competitions.
When asked if there was an update on Conway's recovery timeframe following Saturday's 1-1 draw against Blackburn, Pearson said: "Whatever it takes, I don’t know. Six, seven, eight, nine or ten weeks, who knows? However long it takes.
"It was that from the start, it’s a hamstring tendon. Hamstring tendons take a long time. If you go back to what I said last year from what I said about hamstring tendons, it’s exactly the same thing and that is a reference point."
Pearson will be hoping his issue isn't as severe as the hamstring tendon injury George Tanner suffered towards the end of December last season that only saw him return on the final day of the campaign.
While Weimann could make a return to action in next week's FA Cup fourth-round tie with West Brom, Pearson is already short of options in the attack further fuelled by the uncertainty of Antoine Semenyo's future beyond this month. City turned down offers from Bournemouth and Burnley last week and there is an expectation the club's resolve is likely to be tested again.
Semenyo, 23, grabbed his fourth goal in five games in the 1-1 draw with Blackburn Rovers and Pearson praised his professionalism in putting transfer speculation towards the back of his mind. While Sam Bell is waiting in the wings, the club are likely to explore the transfer market and potentially a loan deal to bolster their numbers in attack especially given the timeframe of Conway's injury.
Bell thought he had scored his second winning goal in a week against Blackburn but was denied by the offside flag. While there is no doubting his potential, Pearson will be keen to manage expectations during the second half of the season.
Chris Martin is also out of favour and is expected to leave the club this month if the club receive a suitable offer and despite links with a switch to League One, there had been no offers for the 34-year-old as of Saturday.
Speaking earlier in the month, Pearson conceded the injuries may change his focus in the transfer window. He said: "When you get these shifts that happen in the space of one game where two players get injured, in four positions, yeah it does mean that you have to evaluate what the options are if we do need to move on that. I can’t give you an absolute concrete answer because believe me it’s so fluid.
“We’re realistic about our own circumstances, and there is no point going on too much about it. It’s frustrating we would like to develop the squad further but at the moment we’re in a position in those regards and get the best out of the players we currently have."
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