Doncaster Rovers boss Grant McCann on injured quartet as fresh blow suffered ahead of MK Dons trip

The club’s injury list is nowhere near as long as it was in the early stages of last season, although McCann has had absences to contend with.

Among those currently sidelined is defender Tom Nixon, who has not made a league appearance since the opening weekend of the season. He was on the comeback trail but McCann has shared details of a setback for the 22-year-old.

“Tom Nixon's had a bit of a setback, which is disappointing,” McCann said. “His injury healed up, he joined in a passing drill yesterday and felt his calf on his other leg.

“I don't know whether he's overcompensating what he was holding on the other side. He's probably going to be three or four weeks.”

An identical timeframe was estimated for Richard Wood, who has not featured in over a month. Zain Westbrooke, meanwhile, is also expected to be absent for the trip to Stadium MK.

“Zain Westbrooke, obviously missed Harrogate with a knock, probably unavailable again on Saturday,” McCann explained. “It's just a little bit of a thigh injury, we'll just monitor him. He didn't train leading into Harrogate and he's not trained this week. We'll see how he is.

“We need to get the boys back as quickly as we can because we want those issues and problems when we're picking teams. There still is, but it's nice to have everyone available.”

There was, however, a positive update regarding defender James Maxwell. He limped out of the opening weekend win over Accrington Stanley but is back doing on-field work.

Loanee midfielder Patrick Kelly, meanwhile, has trained all week having completed international duties with Northern Ireland under-21s.