GARY Rowett has confirmed that Shaun Hutchinson and Mason Bennett are both in contention to feature for Millwall against Blackburn Rovers this weekend.
Hutchinson injured his groin in the early stages of the second half against Cardiff City, meaning that he missed the 2-0 defeat against QPR and the 2-1 win against Blackpool.
Bennett, on the other hand, has been ruled out since tearing his hamstring 12 minutes into the 3-2 win against Coventry City on August 13, an injury which has seen him miss out on the Lions’ last seven matches.
However, Ryan Leonard remains ruled out as the club await the results of his second scan on a torn hamstring, although Rowett is optimistic that Hutchinson and Bennett could be involved in Saturday’s match at Ewood Park after training on Monday morning.
“We’ve no update on Lenny’s scan yet, but the two other lads have both trained,” Rowett told NewsAtDen.
“Hutchy trained in full today, Benno trained for about three quarters of the session, which was always planned.
“Again, we’ll assess those players this week. They’ve both missed a good chunk of football, but I think the main bit would be that if they get through this week unscathed then they’ll both be available.
“That’s not to say that I don’t see them as fully fit to be back in the squad, it just means that, if needed, that they’ll both be available to play some part in the game. That’s what you want, that’s what you want to get to, and then we can make good decisions around when the players come back into the team or into the squad.
Part of the reason why Rowett feels the need to be cautious is because because both players have had problems with injuries in the past, and the Millwall boss is keen to avoid rushing them back into the team and leaving them at risk of rekindling any recurring issues.
“It’s ironic really, because up until this last injury Mason probably had his longest period of training. He’d been available for a lot of games over a long period of time, but of course he’s picked up bits in the past that’ve kind of added to that story I’m sure.
“I think both of them have missed little bits of football and we’ve just got to make good decisions. Hutchy has picked up quite a few little injuries over the last 12 months, so again we’ve just got to try and sit down with the medical team or the sports science team and try to make the best decisions we can to keep them available for the long-term, not just the short-term.”
Photo: Millwall FC