TONY Mowbray admits Darragh Lenihan’s injury is ‘a bit complicated’ with the defender set to miss this weekend’s home game with Doncaster Rovers.

But the Rovers boss doesn’t expect the Irishman to be out for too long after picking up an injury on the opening day at Southend United.

Lenihan limped through the final 10 minutes of the defeat at Roots Hall and missed last night’s Carabao Cup win at Coventry City as expected.

The 23-year-old went for scans on the injury on Monday, with Mowbray revealing the extent of the damage is unclear.

He believes it could be a recurrence of the injury which saw Lenihan miss two weeks, and four games, towards the end of last season.

And Mowbray hasn’t ruled out an addition to his central defensive ranks before the transfer window closes.

“I think it’s a really complicated one,” Mowbray explained.

“There’s no news really, other than it’s a fifth metatarsal that everyone talked about five years ago.

“It is just a bit complicated, he’s had three or four scans now and I think it’s an old injury that is probably bruised and got a bit of fluid around it.

“We will wait and see.

“It will be what it will be and that’s why you have a squad of players.

“Potentially we need another central defender in the club anyway so we are working hard on that behind the scenes as well.

“Hopefully it’s not such a bad one and Darragh will be back in the not too distant future.”

Elliott Ward was handed his first start of the season in place of Lenihan, alongside Ryan Nyambe and skipper Charlie Mulgrew in a back three.

Mulgrew was taken off as a precaution in the latter stages of the win, but should be fit for the weekend.

When asked when if Lenihan was expected to miss the Doncaster game, Mowbray added: “Probably – there’s no need to take a chance on a player with an injury that’s a bit delicate.

“We have to be careful.

“We don’t have to gamble on the next game, there are certain times in a season when you have to put players at risk and I’m not sure we need to put Darragh at risk at the moment.

“We have to make sure he’s fit, trained for a few days, and he feels happy and content on it.”