Millwall attacking duo both set to miss Preston North End match – with Lions low on striker options
Millwall are set to be without Duncan Watmore and Kevin Nisbet when their Championship campaign recommences at Preston North End next weekend.
Watmore came off at half-time in Saturday’s 2-2 draw against Hull City with a hamstring problem. The former Middlesbrough and Sunderland attacker scored the Lions’ opening goal before making way.
Watmore went for a scan on Wednesday and the club are hopeful it is not a long-term injury.
Nisbet was forced to withdraw from international duty with Scotland due to a hamstring injury sustained in the same match.
“We’ve got Duncan out by the looks of it – we’re not sure how long,” Millwall boss Gary Rowett told the South London Press.
“It doesn’t look like it is a quick one-week thing and then he is back.
“Duncan has shown his match-winning moments in games. At the end of last season and the start of this one he had a positive period and showed what he is all about – that little bit of touch and feel around the final third.
“He has opened games up, got assists and a few goals in the process as well.”
Glaswegian Nisbet was unable to play any part in his country’s Euro 2004 qualifier against Spain last night.
Asked if the former Hibernian striker would be back available to the Lions after the international break, Rowett said: “No, I think it will take a little more time than that.
“He’s one that is probably going to be a two to three weeks, minimum.
“We pulled him out of our game with a tight hamstring and he went with Scotland, but with a view to potentially scanning him – because we thought there might be something wrong.
“They scanned it and then sent him back. The process was fine. It worked well – I appreciate Scotland doing that. Some international teams, I dare say, would get the player out there and training but they were quite keen to follow up on our advice.”
It leaves Tom Bradshaw as Millwall’s only established striker.
He replaced Kieffer Moore at the start of the second half as Wales beat Gibraltar 4-0 in a friendly on Wednesday.
They take on Croatia on Sunday in a Euro 2024 qualifier.
“I’ll have my fingers crossed over the international period because I’ve got no strikers even in training at the moment,” said Rowett.
“I’m not one to moan about injury situations or use it as a bit of an excuse – you take it on the chin and make the best of a situation that is far from ideal.
“I said at the start of the season that you need a bit of luck and to keep your key players available – we’ve probably done anything but that at the moment. It’s been a sporadic start (with the injuries) and we’ll have to look into it.”