Oxford United winger Kyle Edwards has been ruled out for up to two months with a hamstring injury.
The Ipswich Town loanee picked up the injury during training on Thursday and missed Oxford’s 3-1 win at Stevenage as a result.
Having come in on deadline day after Marcus Browne picked up a hamstring injury during the win over Barnsley, the 25-year-old has hit the ground running, scoring twice and adding one assist from four appearances.
On the injury, head coach Liam Manning told the Oxford Mail: “He’s going to be out for a considerable amount of time.
“We’re not expecting to see him for the best part of around six to eight weeks.
“He’s out for the foreseeable, which is a bit of a blow.
“I’m hugely disappointed for him, but also for us. He’s come in and had a terrific impact, but as I’ve said before, it opens up a slot for somebody else to grab that opportunity.
“He’s been great for us and we’ll look forward to getting him back, but it’s now about who’s going to step up and shoulder that?
“It’s a blow to lose him and I’m sure we’ll get another injury over the course of the season, but now it’s how do we respond and who steps in moving forward?”
One player who could step up in Edwards’ absence is Josh Murphy, with the former Cardiff man impressing in recent displays.
Manning added: “I have to give Josh a huge amount of credit. It’s no secret the conversation I had with him in the summer and to be fair to him, he’s come back with a point to prove.
“He wasn’t in the first few squads, which some players won’t respond well to or spit their dummy out.
“To be fair to Josh, he definitely didn’t do any of that. He kept his head down and kept working, and kept chipping away at it.
“His attitude in training and his professionalism was excellent.
“What for me that then does is if anyone’s here and they’re doing things properly, and they earn it, why wouldn’t I pick somebody if it will benefit the team?
“They’re the conversations, and I have a good relationship with Josh – we talk regularly and I’m really pleased for him that he’s come in and had the impact he’s had.
“It’s now about building on that. If we can have everybody in the squad with the same attitude and the same application, that for me is what competition is.”
