Latics face wait on MacDonald injury

Shaun MacDonald is waiting to hear how much of Wigan Athletic's relegation fight he'll be available for after suffering a '˜semi-serious' knee injury at Blackburn.
Shaun MacDonald is stretchered off the  field during Latics 1-0 loss to Blackburn on SaturdayShaun MacDonald is stretchered off the  field during Latics 1-0 loss to Blackburn on Saturday
Shaun MacDonald is stretchered off the field during Latics 1-0 loss to Blackburn on Saturday

The Wales international midfielder was stretchered from the field after only five minutes of the 1-0 defeat at Ewood Park after a crunching challenge in midfield.

And assistant manager Graham Barrow admits he’s sweating on the results of a scan. “It’s a bit too early to say, but it does look semi-serious if you know what I mean,” revealed Barrow.

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“There’s a possibility it could be ligament damage, but we’ll know more on Monday.

“He was a big loss...hopefully it’s not going to be that long.”

Barrow admits the loss of MacDonald – a virtual ever present in the engine room since his summer signing from Bournemouth – caused his team huge upheaval.

“I think something like that would be disruptive to any team really, because quite a lot of work went into the team on Thursday,” acknowledged Barrow.

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“Shaun is one of the most effective players we’ve got, certainly in that role.

“If there’s many better than him then I’ve not seen them.

“I thought Jamie (Hanson) did all right in there, he’s done well wherever we’ve asked him to play.

“But Shaun has that real experience that you need, and we’re really hoping it’s not long term – because that could be a key factor.”

MacDonald is almost certainly out of tomorrow night’s trip to Birmingham, and Latics will also be without fellow midfielder Sam Morsy, whose caution on Saturday was his 10th of the season – triggering a two-game ban.

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“Sam will be a massive miss for us, because he’s done fantastic since he’s been back,” recognised Barrow.

“To be quite honest, he’ll be a loss, a huge loss.

“I didn’t think he had his best game on Saturday, but he did all right, and he’s a key player for us.”

Barrow and Andy Welsh took charge of the side in the absence of stricken boss Warren Joyce, who made a surprise appearance at Ewood Park sporting an eye patch, although he remained in the stands.

It remains to be seen whether Joyce is back in the technical area for the crucial clash at Birmingham.

“I think there’s a good chance he’ll be there, but he can only look at things like this on a day-by-day basis,” added Barrow. “He’ll obviously have medical advice and take it from there.”

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