Huge blow for Dons as McEachran set for spell on the sidelines

Midfielder Josh McEachran looks set to be out for a while after suffering injury against Cambridge United last week.

The 29-year-old lasted just 36 minutes at the Abbey Stadium before pulling up, replaced by Bradley Johnson in the 1-0 reverse to the U’s.

Having also limped out of one of the pre-season games against King’s Lynn Town for a separate foot injury, his latest issue is likely to keep him out for the next few games at least, with coach Liam Manning confirming his latest setback is worse than first feared.

“It's not good news, it looks like he will be out for a little while as well,” Manning confirmed. “It's a real shame. Josh had a really good pre-season - he looked strong, his running was good and he looked confident too.

“It's a setback but he has been through it before, and he has that resilience, toughness and emotional control you need to focus on getting back. He is someone we will continue to lean on with his experience because he is a big part of what we do.

“It's a big blow but we're focusing on what we can control now. It's a huge blow but we have to respond with a program to get him back as quickly and safely as possible.”

With Daniel Harvie and Mo Eisa remaining on the sidelines too, Manning offered an update on full-back Tennai Watson, who also went off injured in the King’s Lynn game.

Suffering a hamstring issue, Watson has since had surgery, Manning said.

He added: “He was looking good in pre-season too. He'll be back as and when. He's such a big part of what we do.

“It used to be that players in the treatment room weren't really spoken to until they were back fit but we've moved on since then. We'll look at other areas where he can be included, whether that's coaching badges or media stuff.

“We want to keep football at the forefront of his mind. We did it with a few of the guys who were out injured last season and they came back highly motivated physically and mentally.”