Injury blow has no six appeal for Sky Blues
COVENTRY City have suffered an injury blow with the news that the ever popular Jack Grimmer is set to be out for up to six weeks.
The 24-year-old full-back was forced off at half-time in the 2-1 win at Oxford United with a calf injury which has since been confirmed as a tear.
Grimmer, who had to be patient in getting his opportunity to get back in the side ahead of summer loan signing from Chelsea, Dujon Sterling, took his opportunity with a man of the match display against Rochdale.
The right-back, however, is now facing a spell on the sidelines, handing Sterling the opportunity to firmly establish himself in Mark Robins’ side.
“Jack will be a while,” confirmed the City boss. “He has a soleus injury and that will be four to six weeks. It’s where his calf attaches to the tibia bone and he’s got a grade two tear which they’re saying is four to six weeks.
“And when the physios say four to six weeks these days it’s usually on the nose and nobody gets back any quicker than that.
“But, hopefully, Jack will be a miracle and he’ll get back quicker. It’s been a week so far so he’s got three to five weeks now.”
Fellow full-back Brandon Mason has sat out the last three games with a hip flexor injury suffered in the 1-0 defeat by Rochdale.
The left-back had started the season brightly, playing more games than his senior rival for the position, Junior Brown, who is still getting himself up to speed following surgery last season. But despite being not quite ready to feature at the weekend against Barnsley, Mason is back in training and expected to be available for the trip to Bristol Rovers.
“He has a sore thigh/hip flexor and he’ll be back in soon,” said Robins.
The long-awaited return of fans’ favourite Jodi Jones, meanwhile, has suffered a minor setback.
The 20-year-old had hoped to make his comeback in the Checkatrade Trophy against Arsenal last week but suffered a minor thigh strain in the Under-23s’ match at Bolton last month, forcing him off at half-time.
Jones took to Twitter this weekend to give fans an update, insisting that he’s not too far away now after putting in some ‘mad’ hours of hard work to get himself fit again.
Robins said: “He’s making progress and looking all right.
“He trained on Saturday and is working towards getting himself back.
“He’s disappointed because he set himself a target of the Arsenal game and has just missed that. But, unfortunately for him, there is more hard work to come and then when he’s fit there will be more hard work after that. “I am just looking at when we can get him some games but it will take him as long as it takes. But he’s got to be pushing. He is pushing but he has to balance that by making sure he doesn’t stall with injuries, so I am still looking for more from him.” Meanwhile, Robins has revealed that striker Max Biamou has come through surgery with flying colours. The popular French front man has had his operation to repair a ruptured cruciate knee ligament that will keep him out for the rest of the Sky Blues season. But Biamou is back on his feet and was at the Ricoh Arena on Saturday to watch his fellow Sky Blues record a confidence boosting 1-0 win over an in-form Barnsley side who travelled to Coventry in third place, having made an unbeaten start to life in League One following relegation from the Championship.
Jordan Willis scored the decisive goal that handed City the three points and back-to-back victories following the previous week’s win at Oxford.
And after the game manager Robins gave an update on Biamou’s condition, while also poking fun at the Frenchman for his latest haircut.
“Max has had his operation and he’ll be fine,” he said.
“He’s going to be in for the next couple of weeks to do a bit of rehab work and then I will give him a bit of time to go home to see his family in France. Then we’ll get him back when he’s ready to step up his work.”
Biamou, who continues to have a large smile on his face despite the disappointment of such a bad injury, was wearing a baseball cap at the match on Saturday and for good reason, it seems, according to Robins.
“Have you seen Max’s haircut, by the way,” he chuckled.
“Tell him to take his hat off. He’s shaved it all off!”
Biamou has become a hugely popular figure among City fans, not least for his penchant for scoring spectacular goals. The 27-year-old was expected to play a major role in the side on their first return to League One this season. That opportunity, however, was cruelly taken away from the No.9 when he landed awkwardly after contesting a header in the opening few minutes against Blackpool
last month.
Jack will be a while. He has a soleus injury and that will be four to six weeks. But, hopefully, Jack will get back quicker.