Crewe will be without defender Olly Lancashire for the rest of the year, as reported by Cheshire Live.
The summer signing from Swindon Town arrived with a niggly Achilles tendon problem and has been battling it for some time. The club have attempted to manage the situation, resting him for matches, but he’s finally succumbed to a longer spell out.
The 30-year-old will be sidelined for at least eight weeks, meaning he won’t be adding to the 11 appearances he’s already got until 2020 at least.
“Olly will be out for around 8 weeks, maybe a little bit longer,” manager David Artell said after this weekend’s 1-0 defeat against Port Vale.
“He is in a (protective) boot and he will continue with his treatment. Obviously, it is a blow, but as one door closes another one opens and that is why we have brought Christian (Mbulu) in.”
Mbulu, who had been on trial with the Railwaymen since the summer, is now hoping to grasp his first-team chance in the absence of Lancashire. Another absentee and another summer signing, Daniel Powell, is closing in on a return after not featuring since October 12th.
He’s getting close to adding to his 13 outings, as Artell continued.
“Daniel still has this niggle in his ankle, and it some ways it is a strange injury. He hasn’t suffered severe ligament damage there and that is good news, but the injury is not giving him a full range of kicking or shooting.
“Saying that I don’t think he is too far away and we’ll keep assessing him.”
Our View
Olly Lancashire might be a big loss in terms of the squad, but with just 11 outings this season he can’t be described as a crucial cog in the Crewe Alexandra machine.
It’s still a blow to lose players who add depth to a side and Mbulu is the biggest winner in the situation. Whether he can force himself into contention is down to him, but he’s got until at least New Year to do it without worrying about competition from the former Swindon Town man.
