Ross County defender Callum Morris faces at least two months on the sidelines following surgery to repair a troublesome hamstring tendon injury.
Morris spent a month out of action with the injury before returning for County’s 2-1 victory over Caley Thistle on December 29, but broke down again in the following match against Morton and has been sidelined since.
The former Dunfermline defender has now undergone surgery aimed at getting to the root of the problem, with co-manager Stuart Kettlewell keen to take a long-term approach to Morris’ condition.
Kettlewell said: “Callum has gone through a procedure to repair his tendon which attaches between his knee and his hamstring. It’s a very rare injury, and something that can be a real problem, so he was down to London earlier in the week to get that fixed.
“We are led to believe this is the best way forward. We could have probably sat on it for six weeks and let him try to recover, but this injury has a habit of reoccurring.
“We want to try to get it sorted now. That will probably in turn mean he is out for 10 weeks or so. We’ll just need to deal with that – it’s important we get him right and it’s not the kind of thing he keeps breaking down from.”
With fellow defender Liam Fontaine also ruled out for the season with an achilles injury, and Sean Kelly to see a specialist for an update on a stomach problem linked to previous groin surgery, Kettlewell was pleased to complete County’s January business with the loan signing of Preston North End defender Andy Boyle, who became the Staggies’ fifth addition of the transfer window on Tuesday.
Kettlewell added: “We are quite happy we managed to do everything we hoped to do with a couple of days to spare, because it becomes a bit silly at times.
“We have all seen that in the past, so our business is done and we feel we’re in a position where we’ve got the group of players we trust to hopefully get us through to the end of the season in the most successful manner we can.
“Defensively, we’ve been short and Andy brings a bit of versatility and a great deal of experience. We think we have a real quality player. We’re excited to get him involved.
“Young Tom Grivosti has surpassed everybody’s expectations in how well he has performed and he has cemented his involvement in the group, but Sean Kelly is struggling with a problem in his stomach. We have to make sure that with the run of games we have in February we’re covered.
“We’re still involved in three competitions and want to do the very best we can in all three.”