Huddersfield Town digest: Michael Duff provides injury updates on Matty Pearson and Mickel Miller
Pearson back in training but Miller heading for surgery and months on the sidelines
What’s been said
— Michael Duff on Mickel Miller, in Monday’s press conference:
“Mickel is having an operation tomorrow. You’re looking at three or four months so it’s not ideal. It didn’t look great on the day. Unfortunately the lad’s fallen into him. It’s not even a tackle or anything like that. The lad’s just tripped over the ball and unfortunately fell into Mickel and the way he’s landed, it’s not a great one.“
“He’s alright… They get their head around it pretty quickly. It’s funny how it works, his missus is due with his first baby in a week or two so he’ll have something to look forward to. It’s unfortunate for us but it’s part and parcel of being a footballer.”
— Michael Duff on mentality, in Monday’s press conference:
“We’ve got ourselves level par again, so to speak, so now we need to kick on. That run’s just got us out of a hole. Now can we kick on? That’s the mentality we need to show.“
— Michal Helik on returning to fitness, in Monday’s press conference:
“It’s a great feeling to be back, to be fit. Obviously it was not an easy time to be injured, you cannot help the team. But I think that I used that time the best I could and I’m really, really enjoying it now being back with the lads on the pitch and I’m looking forward to the next game.“
Coming up next
Wigan Athletic will visit the John Smith’s Stadium on Tuesday evening on the back of two League One wins and a dramatic late extra-time winner at Cambridge United in the FA Cup.
Terriers head coach Michael Duff confirmed that the additional preparation day meant the squad trained on Sunday and Monday ahead of the Tuesday night fixture.
Wigan’s last away game in the league was a 1-0 win at Barnsley, who sit in sixth, two points behind Huddersfield but with one more game played.
Saturday will then see the Terriers visit Mansfield Town, who start the week five points behind the Terriers with a game in hand. They visit Bolton Wanderers on Tuesday looking for their first League One win since a 2-1 victory at Wigan in October.
The Stags beat Stevenage in the FA Cup on Saturday.
Huddersfield Town injuries and absences
Mickel Miller went off with a knee injury against Leyton Orient on Tuesday evening and Duff revealed that he will undergo surgery on Tuesday. Miller is expected to be unavailable for a period of three to four months.
Matty Pearson (ankle) and Rhys Healey (calf) both had scans last week for the injuries they each picked up against Charlton last Saturday. Healey’s scan revealed a calf tear and he will miss out for six to eight weeks, but Pearson is back in training and Duff will make a call on his availability closer to the Wigan game.
Danny Ward and Jaheim Headley missed the Leyton Orient trip through illness. Both are now available if selected.
Lee Nicholls, Radinio Balker, Lasse Sorensen, and Joe Hodge are all back in light individual training and at different stages in their rehabilitation but will not be available to face Wigan on Tuesday.
Antony Evans remains out with a toe injury with no date set for his return.
Predicted line-up to face Wigan Athletic
3-4-1-2: Jacob Chapman; Tom Lees, Michal Helik, Nigel Lonwijk; Ollie Turton, Herbie Kane, David Kasumu, Brodie Spencer; Ben Wiles; Callum Marshall, Josh Koroma.
Substitutes: Chris Maxwell, Josh Ruffels, Jonathan Hogg, Tom Iorpenda, Freddie Ladapo, Bojan Radulovic, Danny Ward.
Huddersfield Town Women
Town Women are back in FA Cup action on Sunday afternoon with a tough third-round trip away to second-tier Sunderland. Kick-off is set for 1pm at Eppleton Colliery Football Ground in Hetton-le-Hole.
Despite sitting in fifth place, Sunderland are just three points off the top of a congested WSL 2 and have won each of their past four league games since losing their local derby with Newcastle in October.
Our schedule
We will have full coverage of the Wigan and Mansfield games as usual, with player ratings on the final whistle to all readers and five conclusions to follow the next day for our paying backers.
We’ll also have the usual coverage of Town Women and their attempts at a cup upset on Sunday, with ratings and a report from Arthur Difford.