With 10 professionals now sidelined following Tristan Nydam’s nasty ankle injury, ANDY WARREN looks at when Ipswich Town’s wounded may be fit to return.
Gwion Edwards (groin - closing in)
The next potential returnee is winger Gwion Edwards.
The Welshman struggled with a groin injury throughout the second half of last season, with the niggle impacting him from February onwards and bringing his campaign to an end three games early.
He's made improvements and has been involved in training, with a judgement being made regarding his injury on a day-to-day basis.
Alan Judge (wrist - closing in)
The Irishman, who is being chased by QPR, was due to have a scan on the wrist he fractured on international duty in June at the start of this week.
He's been able to train since returning to the Blues for pre-season but has not been cleared for match action at this stage.
Once he gets that clearance he should be up-to-speed fairly quickly but, following Paul Lambert's comments on Tuesday night, it remains to be seen whether he's seen in a Town shirt again.
Jack Lankester (back - unknown)
A stress fracture in his back ended Lankester's promising breakthrough season in January.
Lambert and his medical team have rightly been careful with the teenager, given the nature of the injury and the fact it has come so early in his professional career.
He featured against Paderborn and Fortuna Dusseldorf in Germany but has suffered a reaction, with the youngster again being looked after carefully.
Jon Nolan (calf - unknown)
Another, like Edwards and Lankester, who is dealing with an injury carried over from last season.
Lambert says the midfielder isn't too far away from being in contention but he's behind Edwards in his recovery, meaning he has to be considered a doubt for the opening-day visit to Burton.
Toto Nsiala (hamstring - six weeks)
The big defender faces six weeks on the sidelines due to the hamstring injury he suffered against Fortuna Dusseldorf.
The centre-back tore his hamstring at the Interwetten Cup, which means he will miss the start of the season and not be available to Lambert until September.
His absence is being felt, given he and Luke Chambers are the only two senior central defenders in the Ipswich squad at present.
Freddie Sears (knee ligament - November return)
Sears still finished last season as the club's joint-leading scorer, despite not playing since February.
The cruciate knee ligament injury he suffered at Norwich ended his season and will rule him out for the start of the new campaign.
He's making good progress and could potentially return in November, boosting the Ipswich Town forward line.
Teddy Bishop (knee ligaments - three months out)
It's so cruel that injury struck Bishop again at a time when he was just beginning to show his true ability.
There were fears the midfielder had suffered ACL damage at the Interwetten Cup, which would have ruled him out for the season, but thankfully it wasn't that bad and it was medial damage instead.
He could be back in October but will likely take a few weeks to get back to speed again.
Tristan Nydam (broken ankle - six months out)
The latest blow came in Tuesday night's draw at Notts County, where the midfielder suffered a broken ankle and ligament damage.
He stayed in hospital in Nottingham on Tuesday and will now undergo surgery and spend six months on the sidelines.
It comes as a real blow for Nydam, given he had impressed at left-back during pre-season.
Ben Morris (knee ligament injury - return in 2020)
It could be that the ACL injury suffered by Morris in February will keep him out for the rest of this year.
He did the damage in training, ending his season which began with a first-team cameo on the opening-day followed by a loan move to Forest Green.
He'll have to prove himself in the Under 23s.
Ben Folami (Achilles - return in 2020)
Like Morris, Folami suffered his injury in training.
The torn Achilles tendon will keep him out until the turn of the year.
Prior to that he'd broken into the first-team picture and had been away with the young Australia sides.
Another who will have to prove his worth in the Under 23s.
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