Roy Keane says central defender Gareth McAuley could be out of action for two weeks after picking up a thigh injury in the first half of Saturday’s 1-1 draw at Plymouth. The Northern Irishman was replaced by Alex Bruce for the last 65 minutes of the game.
Keane said: "We've picked up another injury. It's hard to say how long with a thigh injury and Gareth will have a scan in the next day or two. He could be out for a fortnight, but Alex came back in and did well."
While Bruce is McAuley's likely replacement, a central defender is understood to be one of the two loan players Roy Keane has targeted in recent weeks but has so far failed to land. On Friday, the Town boss said he was hoping for progress this week.
Meanwhile, former England manager Peter Taylor's presence at the recent Swansea and Watford games may suggest that he could be the experienced coach Keane is reported to want to add to his backroom staff.
Taylor, who left his job as manager at Wycombe Wanderers by mutual consent earlier this month, watched both games from the directors' box. Keane denied reports earlier in the season which claimed that he would be looking to add to his backroom staff.