Doncaster Rovers boss on Tom Anderson injury blow and how it impacts January plans

Doncaster Rovers captain Tom Anderson is facing an extended period of time on the sidelines due to a foot injury, boss Gary McSheffrey has confirmed.
Tom AndersonTom Anderson
Tom Anderson

The centre half has been out for the last couple of weeks due to a recurrence of the plantar fascia injury which put him out of action for a month earlier in the season.

And McSheffrey admitted the skipper is unlikely to feature at all for Rovers during January.

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“Tomis going to be out for longer than we expected,” McSheffrey told the Free Press.

“He’s got the recurrence of the foot injury that he got and we’re going to be looking at a good few weeks yet.

“It’s a key time, with the window opening, if you’re saying people have got serious injuries then it might make it more difficult in the market to get value for money.

“People know you need players in certain areas.

“It’s one we hope he can be sooner than expected but I can’t see him playing in the month of January.”

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McSheffrey said Rovers were looking to make an addition in defence during the transfer window prior to Anderson’s injury but that it had become more of a priority since.

He said: “It wasn’t the number one priority, going off the back of the Shrewsbury game where you’re looking at Tom and Joseph [Olowu] and thinking then that Ro-Shaun [Williams] was going to be back and could be up to speed in a few weeks.

“But then Ro-Shaun gets Covid and Tom gets injured so it has become more of a priority, up there with the attackers because short-term, we do need a fix.

“But it’s also important that we don’t bring someone in who can play for a month but would end up with us stockpiling for a year and a half if they’re not going to be playing when the other three boys are fit and there’s four or five in the building.

“We’ve got to be shrewd in who we take.”

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McSheffrey said young centre half Ben Blythe - who started Monday’s defeat to Sunderland - is an option to deputise for Anderson but there are others too.

“Maybe Ben, maybe not. There’s options there.

“I thought he did all right the other day but when you dissect the game there’s a couple of goals he could have done better for.

“He’ll learn from that.

“He’s started two games against the two best teams I’ve faced and two of the best teams in the division.

“We’ve got an idea of what we’re going to go with, we’ll stick with it and feel that it’s the best team to go and win the game.”

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Rovers hope to have Ethan Galbraith available for Sunday’s trip to relegation rivals Morecambe.

The Manchester United loanee missed the Sunderland game after struggling to shake off the effects of Covid-19 but has trained over the last few days.

Joe Dodoo has been passed fit after coming off during the second half against Sunderland with a knee injury.

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