Matt Taylor expects Ryan Finnigan, on loan from Shrewsbury Town, to be available for a change at some point in January.
Finnigan has recently been with his parent club, Southampton, to rehabilitate from ankle surgery.
The midfielder arrived in Shropshire on the deadline but suffered a serious ankle injury during education; It’s an innocent injury if there’s no one around you.
And Taylor has provided an update on where he is at during his recovery.
“He’s back in Southampton and hopefully we’ll get him back sometime in January,” he said.
“He’s also been a big mistake, he’s been a big mistake.
“I like Ryan as a footballer, this is his second loan after being at Crewe last season.
“We knew what we were getting. He understood the rigours of first-team football.
“We have not been able to use him, so it has been really difficult as there are quite a few players on my injury board who I have been unable to use and call upon.
“It’s nobody’s fault, unfortunately he fell.
“He’s had surgery and it’s a difficult operation, he’s back in Southampton doing his rehab there.
“As we have a date scheduled, I’ll let you know when we expect it, although unfortunately I don’t think it’s imminent. “
Town will be in Ligue 1 action this weekend when they take on Wycombe at Adams Park.