Lengthy Lay-Off For Turner

Photo by Jeff Holmes

Chris Turner is likely to be out for up to six weeks with a knee complaint, according to Hamilton player/manager Martin Canning.

The 28-year-old Accies midfielder, who joined the Lanarkshire club in the summer after leaving Dumbarton, sustained a grade one medial collateral ligament injury just before the break in the 2-0 Ladbrokes Premiership defeat at Ross County on Saturday.

"Chris is doing okay," said Canning. "The physio reckons about four to six weeks.

"It is not as bad as feared because it could have been a bad one. But four to six weeks is being cautious with it and if we can get him back quicker obviously that would be great.

"I feared when it happened, it was an awkward looking tackle so you do have those fears.

"I think he had something similar in the past but this is nowhere near as bad and the physio concurs."

Canning is struggling for fitness himself and will miss the visit of Dundee United in the Ladbrokes Premiership on Saturday as he tries to catch up after a calf complaint.

The 33-year-old defender said: "I do still intend to play but because I am unable to train fully and fully focus on playing, I keep on picking up wee niggles.

"I won't be available for United. I am training this week, so hopefully I can come through unscathed and play a part in the 20s game next week and then I will probably be available to play."

After the proposed loan signing of Macedonian defender Gjoko Zajkov from Rennes was thwarted by red tape, following the scrapping of the signing of Spanish striker Salva Chamorro due to a registration issue, Canning remains on the hunt for a stopper and a forward.

He said: "With the boy from Rennes we knew there was a high percentage that it wouldn't happen, but on the off-chance it would we had a look to see if we could get it sorted.

"But we knew it was going to be a difficult process and that's the way it turned out.

"In an ideal world if I could get in a striker and a right-sided centre-back, it would be the icing on the cake. But if we don't, I'm happy with the squad I've got.

"I think we have a good, solid squad and I won't bring people in for the sake of it."