Ipswich Town goalkeeper Christian Walton is understood to be a major injury doubt for Sunday's televised Championship opener at Sunderland.
The Blues' first choice custodian sat out last Friday's pre-season games in Austria, with manager Kieran McKenna explaining: "He as a little problem in his plantar fasciitis (the tissue along the bottom of the foot) so we’ll have to see how he is next week."
The Sun journalist Alan Nixon has today reported that Town 'could be without their number one for the first half dozen games', with Football League World having claimed that could deter newly-promoted Premier League club Luton Town making a move for the 27-year-old.
We understand that no timeframe has yet been put on Walton's recovery from an injury that can differ in severity for different people.
Vaclav Hladky - whose nine starts last season all came in the cups - looks most likely to replace Walton between the sticks, though Cieran Slicker, a recent addition from Manchester City, is another option.
Nathan Broadhead (quad) and Massimo Luongo (adductor) are also players that will need to be assessed over the coming days after they sat out the Austria trip.
Harry Clarke, who will serve a one-game suspension on Sunday, has sat the last few pre-season games out with an Achilles injury.
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