Millwall assistant boss asked about absence of on-loan Arsenal defender

Millwall assistant Adam Barrett is hopeful that on-loan Arsenal defender Dan Ballard will be back soon after the defender missed Tuesday night’s 1-0 win over Reading.

The Northern Ireland international has quickly established himself as a key player after arriving on a season-long loan deal in the summer.

Prior to Tuesday’s clash with Reading, Ballard had been an ever-present in the league for the Lions this term.

“Hopefully it won’t be too long,” said Barrett following last night’s 1-0 win over Reading.

“Dan’s been excellent for us. He’s come in and played a hell of a lot of football in a short space of time. Obviously he goes away for international duty and he’s playing there [too], so it’s been a really busy period for him with games coming thick and fast. Hopefully he won’t be too long.”