Inigo Calderon has confessed that he doesn’t know if Jack Hunt will leave Bristol Rovers before the January transfer window closes after the right-back was once again left out of the Gas’ squad for their 2-0 defeat at Wigan Athletic despite being fully fit.
The defender hasn’t featured for Rovers since their FA Cup first round victory over Weston-super-Mare in early November having sustained a calf tear following that match.
However, the 34-year-old has been back on the grass for a couple of weeks now and still is yet to feature in a squad.
Centre-back Taylor Moore has often played at right-back lately but Joel Senior was brought back into the starting line up against Wigan, a game in which the 25-year-old struggled to truly show his quality.
Asked about Hunt’s situation post-match, Calderon told Bristol Live: “He’s fully fit. It’s just a matter of numbers and obviously having Joel and Taylor Moore on the bench. So it was just a matter of numbers. You don’t want two right-backs on the bench in the end but he’s fully fit.
“I don’t know,” the Spaniard added on whether the experienced defender could depart this month. “I would like to finish already this January window because it’s something that I don’t really like. I want to know who’s going to stay. Who’s going to come.
“At the moment, it doesn’t change my idea. Once we are in the building, I try to do my best for them and they have to do the same for us.”
Hunt, who has played over 500 club games, most of which in the Championship, for an array of clubs including Sheffield Wednesday, Huddersfield Town and Bristol City amongst others, was brought into the club by Joey Barton in August 2023 but injury issues have held the defender back from consistent game time in blue-and-white quarters.
However, he remains the only right-back in the squad to have a goal contribution to his name this term despite featuring just six times.
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The 34-year-old’s contract at Rovers is set to expire at the end of the campaign with an exit last summer understood to have been a possibility that never materialised.
So far this window, the Gas have brought in just one player in experienced midfielder Romaine Sawyers while allowing Bryant Bilongo and Luke McCormick loan exits to Harrogate Town and Forest Green Rovers respectively. Loanees Jake Garrett and Michael Forbes also returned to their parent clubs Blackburn Rovers and West Ham United.
The window doesn’t close until February 3 with Rovers next in action on Tuesday night when they travel to Charlton Athletic.
When asked whether there could be any incomings before the trip to the capital, Calderon told Bristol Live: “I don’t think so. We are on Saturday and nothing has come so I don’t think it’s going to be before Tuesday. As I always say, there has to be something better than what we have.”