Inigo Calderon has confessed that Promise Omochere’s hamstring injury “doesn’t look great” after the Bristol Rovers striker was forced off after 20 minutes in the Gas’ 3-2 defeat to Leyton Orient on New Year’s Day.
Omochere had only returned to action less than three weeks prior having missed over a month with an ankle injury and then a separate broken hand on top.
The Irishman had looked fresh upon return, playing some of his best football so far in blue-and-white quarters, scoring in back-to-back matches against Wrexham and Exeter City.
When asked, Calderon didn’t have an exact timescale on how long Rovers’ club-record signing could be out for but Bristol Live understands that Omochere is unlikely to feature until April.
“With Prom [it] doesn’t look great,” the Gas head coach told Bristol Live after Saturday’s 1-0 win at Cambridge United. “It’s a hamstring injury so that’s not great for him.
“So we’re going to miss him, but listen, as I say, I don’t want to cry. I don’t want to make excuses. We have enough players to fight for that.”
Elsewhere, there is still uncertainty around Kamil Conteh’s recent injury that has kept the midfielder out of Calderon’s opening three matches in charge.
The 22-year-old’s fitness record has been immaculate since arriving at Rovers last January from Grimsby Town and it was thought to be just a knock that kept him out of the Stevenage defeat.
However, two further games have since passed, admittedly in quick succession, and there are still question marks surrounding what the issue actually is and how severe it could be.
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When asked about Conteh’s current status, Calderon responded: “I’m not sure. There have been some tests to make sure that we know what is going on there.”
Some good news though is that Jack Hunt should be nearing a return to action having been sidelined since early November with the right-back’s last appearance coming in the FA Cup victory over Weston-super-Mare.
The 34-year-old’s tenure in BS7 has unfortunately been overshadowed by injuries with Hunt limited to just six appearances so far this campaign but he impressed in the back-to-back victories against Charlton Athletic and Burton Albion in October and will offer a helpful option.
It is currently unclear whether this weekend’s trip to Ipswich Town in the FA Cup will come too soon but there is hope that Hunt will be available to make his return to action the following weekend when Rovers host Barnsley in League One.