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COVENTRY City’s forward line has been hit by another casualty going into the Christmas period.
Just a day after it was confirmed that fans’ favourite Jodi Jones is facing another year on the sidelines with a re-torn ACL, striker Amadou Bakayoko (pictured) has been ruled out for two months with a knee injury.
The summer signing only made a return to the starting line-up against his former club Walsall last weekend after waiting patiently for his chance to impress.
But a training ground challenge by a teammate has resulted in the 22-year-old suffering knee ligament damage.
“Bakayoko is injured and is going to be out for eight weeks after Jordan Willis landed on him in the early part of the week,” revealed manager Mark Robins, who was forced to make two of his three changes to face Luton Town due to injury in a game in which Willis ended up limping off injured himself.
The centre-back went over on his right ankle midway through the second half of the 2-1 defeat at the Ricoh Arena.
“He’s gone over on his ankle but we don’t know how bad it is yet,” said the City boss.
Dujon Sterling was another casualty this week. The right-back was replaced by Jack Grimmer to face the Hatters after pulling out late with a hip problem.
The on-loan full-back from Chelsea only returned last weekend from six weeks out with an ankle injury.
But Robins said: “Dujon has a hip flexor injury.
“We learned that news yesterday. Well, really before the game today.
“Hopefully he’ll be back for next week but we will see how it goes in training this week.”
And Robins has revealed that he’s looking to the January transfer window to bring in reinforcements to help “knit things together” in his mis-firing City side.
Their latest loss has seen City slip into the bottom half of the table in 13th place ahead of the halfway point of the campaign.
“January is coming and we have got to see what we can do there because we certainly need to do something,” said the City boss.
“There’s a lot we need to do over a period of time to compete consistently at the top of the division.
“I find myself wishing my life away at the minute because I have got a good set of players who are learning. But we need some bits and pieces to help knit everything together.”
Asked if he’s expecting to have the finances available to strengthen in the forthcoming window, which opens on January 1, he said: “Possibly, possibly not, which is why we need that little bit of time to get there.”
Asked if he’s expecting to have to move out some players to make way for new ones, wheeling and dealing in the market, he admitted: “Undoubtedly. It always is but it depends on a lot of things.
“There is a lot of plate spinning and there are things that need doing, clearly.
“What happens with us at the minute is that if there’s one injury the dynamic changes totally.”