Motherwell have been dealt a major blow with news that striker Mikael Mandron is out for “a couple of weeks”.
The 28-year-old, who was recently signed from Gillingham, picked up an injury in training on Friday that ruled him out of the 1-0 defeat at St Mirren the following day, and he’s likely to miss the home clash against St Johnstone tomorrow.
It’s the latest in a lengthy injury list to plague the Steelmen, and boss Steven Hammell admits frustration at not having the towering striker – who scored twice in a 2-0 Scottish Cup win over Arbroath – available for such a crucial game.
But he does hope that paperwork will be completed to allow Japanese attacking midfielder Riki Danzaki, 22, to make his debut against Callum Davidson’s side.
On the extent of Mandron’s injury, Hammell said: “We still don’t know. I think it’s going to be a couple of weeks for him.
“We’ve not got the official [details], but again it’s a frustrating one.
“He has come in, done well, showed up, he’s brought exactly what we hoped he would bring, but it was frustrating not having him available at the weekend, that’s for sure.
“It seems to be the way it is just now. We’re trying to remain as positive as we can, but we also understand we need to have a team that’s very competitive on the pitch, and competitive on a daily basis.”
On Danzaki potentially playing a part of tomorrow’s Premiership clash, Hammell said: “We’re hoping that’s all going to be confirmed and signed off, and all the clearance and paperwork and all that stuff is confirmed and he will be available for the match tomorrow.
“He has trained with us in the last couple of days.”
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