Coventry City’s injury list and anticipated return dates include Sheaf, Palmer, Kelly, O’Hare, and Tavares before Bristol City.

Coventry City injury news from CoventryLive as we look at the latest state of play regarding Mark Robins’ absent players and when they’re likely to return.

Mark Robins is still without five first team players as Coventry City get back to work after the latest international break. The two-week pause in the fixture list came at a welcome time for the Sky Blues boss who has been forced to make do and mend in recent weeks due to having so many members of his senior squad sidelined with injuries.

Two weeks without a competitive game provides an opportunity for injured bodies to recover after a bruising start to the campaign. The treatment room has been busier than usual in the opening stages of the season, highlighted by a makeshift midfield in the latter stages of Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Norwich City when centre-half Joel Latibeaudiere was deployed in a holding role in the middle of the park for the first time, albeit the position he plays for Jamaica.

Robins has previously been reluctant to deploy the summer signing from Swansea in that role but it’s been a case of needs must with so many casualties in an area of the pitch that already lacks strengthen in depth due to the failure to sign an alternative to Gustavo Hamer when he was sold to Sheffield United late on in the summer transfer window. Sky Blues fans will be hoping for more available options when they travel to Bristol City on Saturday (October 21). Here is a complete injury round-up, including potential return dates.

 

Ben Sheaf

City’s best holding midfielder suffered an adductor strain in training following the Watford game with the prognosis being that he’d be out for a minimum of six weeks. He returned to the grass in the week leading up to the Norwich match (at the five week stage) and is therefore hoped to be back in full contact training this week (week seven) when the Sky Blues build into the Bristol City game.

Possible return date: October 21 vs Bristol City

 

The playmaker and most creative player in the squad suffered the same adductor tear injury as Sheaf, believed to be in the 3-2 defeat at Cardiff City. Ruled out with an initial prognosis of six-eight weeks, Palmer is now in week five of his recovery.

Possible return date: Mon, October 30 vs West Brom

Liam Kelly

The holding midfielder limped off midway through the first half against Blackburn, with the initial prognosis a hamstring tear. Although Robins feared the worst, the player insisted it was not that bad and refused a scan which would have confirmed the full extent of the injury.

Possible return date: It’s a case of wait and see but with the two week international break providing more time, Kelly will be hoping to declare himself fit to face his former club Bristol City this weekend (Oct 21).

 

Callum O’Hare

The exciting attacking midfielder suffered a ruptured ACL at Sheffield United on Boxing Daylast year, putting him out for a minimum of nine months. He’s been a huge miss both last season and this but Robins is determined not to rush him back. O’Hare has been back in full contact training for the last few weeks and his manager admitted he was tempted to give him game time in the Under-21s recently. However, he opted for a more cautious approach and plans to put the player through another block of training this week to continue to build up his strength and fitness. City don’t play another development squad game until the end of the month but there is an in-house match planned for this week, in which he might well get a bit of game time.

Possible return date: Unknown but could be any time in the next few weeks, although sometime in early November is probably more realistic.

 

Fabio Tavares

The young striker ruptured his Achilles tendon in early January in the FA Cup defeat to Wrexham and the projected comeback time was late September/early October. Tavares, however, only returned to the grass recently (Oct 5) for running drills. His next step will be joining in full contact training and he’s clearly several weeks away from a run-out with the Under-21s.

Possible return date: Unknown at this stage.