Ross County midfielder Max Sheaf has been ruled out for the rest of the season with a muscle injury.
English midfielder Sheaf has featured regularly since Don Cowie took over as interim manager in February, having started five of his 10 matches in charge.
He had previously made just three starts since making the switch from English non-league outfit Redditch United.
Cowie revealed Sheaf has suffered a significant muscle injury in training, meaning he will play no part in the Staggies’ bottom-six run-in.
Cowie provides update on sidelined quartet
The Staggies interim boss already has four players sidelined due to injury, with varying timescales for their return.
Fellow midfielder Scott Allardice is also likely to be out for the remainder of the campaign, although he has returned to light running in recent days.
Former Caley Thistle player Allardice has not featured since the 2-2 draw against Hearts at Tynecastle on December 30 due to a knee injury.
Although he is currently receiving treatment at his parent club, Cowie is hopeful he could feature before the end of the campaign.
Cowie said: “Will is slowly making progress, and is someone we could have back in the last few games, but we are still not sure.”
Midfielder Ross Callachan is making his way back from a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament he suffered in a match against Celtic last April.
Callachan is back in light training, but Cowie is reluctant to rush him back given the length of his absence.
😃 All smiles back out on the grass!@RossCallachan pic.twitter.com/vVkHetAtMD
— Ross County FC (@RossCounty) April 11, 2024
Cowie added: “Ross has had a really long time out. We’re hopeful we can maybe see him before the end of the season, but at the same time we’ve got to take account of how long he has been out.”
One player who could come back into contention is left back Josh Reid, who is back in full training after suffering a hamstring injury in the 1-0 defeat at Kilmarnock earlier this month.
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