MK Dons have been dealt two further injury blows, with striker Joshua Kayode set to miss the remainder of the season and January signing Anthony Stewart also set for a spell on the sidelines.
Speaking in his pre-match press conference ahead of the Sky Bet League One fixture with Oxford United, Head Coach Mark Jackson revealed both players had suffered ‘freak’ injuries in training, with Kayode’s issue ruling him out for the remainder of his loan spell.
“We’ve had two blows,” Jackson told the media as he explained the situation regarding both players.
“JJ has suffered an injury on his return to training which is really unfortunate. He was doing everything right and was looking strong but through once action he's damaged his quad.
“He’ll undergo surgery that so will miss the rest of the season. It is a real blow for us but also for JJ himself. He had worked so hard to get back from his previous injury and he had ticked off everything that we needed to take off. It came out of the blue and it is a real blow.
“Similarly, Anthony Stewart has done everything right since joining us. He’s been playing and training all season but he's also picked up an injury – another freakish injury within training – that we could do nothing to prevent.
“We are still assessing it to see the extent of the problem but we’re talking weeks not days. We are hopeful it might not be too long but we've also got to prepare ourselves for the worst just in case. There is no specific time frame on it as yet.
“It’s a kick in the teeth for us and the player. Anthony was devastated but one of the reasons we brought him here was because of his leadership and he’s keen to stay around the group.
“It’s knocked him for six a little bit but he’s been involved in all our meetings still and he’s integrating himself into the group. It's just unfortunate we can't see him on the pitch immediately.”
Jackson added: “It’s a situation we are going to have to deal with. I have learned quickly in football that problems will arise all the time. You have to accept them and deal with them and find solutions to move forward and that's what we're doing now.”
One possible solution for Jackson and MK Dons is the free agent market, with those players who were out-of-contract before 11pm on 31 January still able to sign with clubs outside of the transfer window.
“It might be something we have to look at. We’ve got ideas of players who out there – we look at this stuff all the time and we constantly update our a database of players who are available.
“We have fantastic staff who are really knowledgeable on players who are available, so we can step into that at any time if need be. Hopefully we won’t have to but if we do have to find a solution there, I'm sure we can work on that.”
There is better injury news with regards to Nathan Holland, who is back in full training having been out of action with a thigh injury sustained against Lincoln City last month. Ethan Robson, also injured in that game against the Imps, is close to a return as well while captain Dean Lewington (hamstring) continues to make progress.
“Nathan Holland is back in training and looking good while Ethan is getting closer and closer all the time. He will be looking to join back into training soon and integrate back in to the squad.
“Dean (Lewington) is now fully on the pitch which is really, really good to see. He’s working hard with Adam (Ross) and he's on the road to recovery as well.
“While there's been some disappointing news on the injury front again, it is backed up with a bit of positivity as well.”
