No new faces are expected ahead of the trip to Newport County

Defender Joe Tomlinson is set to be sidelined for a significant spell through injury, leaving MK Dons short of full-back cover ahead of Saturday’s game against Newport County.

The 25-year-old left-back went down early against Crawley Town on Tuesday night and is likely to be out for a long spell, according to head coach Paul Warne.

With precious little full-back cover for either Tomlinson or Gethin Jones on the opposite flank, Warne had insinuated that things needed to be sped up in the hunt for cover. But with less than 24 hours to go before the side hit the road for Wales, Warne said he is not expecting anyone new to be in the squad in time.

“I don’t expect to have anyone in before the weekend,” he said. “We thought we had the perfect storm but it’s been blown off course. We’ve got people who can play in that position in fairness.”

Discussing Tomlinson’s injury, he said the early signs did not point to a quick turnaround for the former Peterborough United man.

“It’s not good,” Warne continued. “We knew it wasn’t good because it wasn’t a usual injury. The physios knew within ten seconds.

“He’s having a scan today (Thursday), so we’ll know more later but it’s the tendons on the bottom of his foot. Hopefully it’s not too bad, but in my head it sounds lengthy. It’s not like he’s twisted his ankle, taken a hit or he’s tweaked his calf. It sounds more ominous, but maybe I’m miles off.

“I think we’re going to miss him for the foreseeable future.”