Bristol Rovers dealt cruel injury blow as Joey Barton provides contract update

Bristol Rovers have been dealt an injury blow after Joey Barton revealed that Harry Anderson would be out for the next four-to-five weeks.

Anderson has suffered a setback after complaining of a groin problem, and after meeting with a medical specialist, he will undergo a procedure on Friday that will hope to rectify the problem. The 26-year-old has had a run of six matches, mainly as a substitute, without disruption but he will now be out for at least the rest of this month and slightly in to April. The best case scenario would be a return against Charlton Athletic on Good Friday, which would have him sidelined for five matches.

It is the second time that Anderson will be out for a prolonged period, as against Sheffield Wednesday he suffered a groin problem, which kept him out from late October to the end of December. The former Lincoln City winger has played 24 times this season with a goal and an assist, with 13 starts and 11 appearances from the bench.

“We’ve had a little bit of a setback with Harry Anderson,” revealed Barton when asked about the current bill of health at the club, which had only Josh Grant and Jordan Rossiter sidelined.

“It hasn’t settled and I think he’s going to require a little bit of surgery which will take him out for four to five weeks, something like that. It’s a little bit of a blow for H, he’s had a little bit of a stop-start season but apart from that we’ve got Ryan Loft returning from suspension, and pretty much a nice healthy group.

“It’s a groin, I’m not if he’s got a hernia, it’s just been rumbling on. He’s come back to training, he’s not moving quite right. I think he’s seen a specialist today and they said they’re going to operate on the morning to get him back with games to spare.

“It’s a nightmare for H really, he’s had a lot of setbacks with it, unfortunately you’ve got to go under the surgeons knife, it’s the only way to resolve an issue to get you back towards 100%.”

Anderson’s two-year contract with the club expires in the summer, and despite prelimininary talks over Christmas, he has not yet put pen-to-paper on a new deal. He joined from Lincoln City, and last year played a key role at the end of last season’s promotion-winning campaign.

The aforementioned Grant, as well as January signings Calum MacDonald and Grant Ward, as well as player-coach Glenn Whelan have their contracts up in May, with decisions to be made over their long-term futures. Anderson is currently playing for his future and will have to persuade Barton, and the club’s hierachy that he can remain fit and overcome his injury problems, if he is to earn a new deal

“I really like Harry, I think he’s a great squad and team man, we had a conversation with him in and around Christmas,” Barton said.

“He didn’t manage to get the signature on the contract and then subsequently he’s had a couple of injuries. We’re still speaking and talking to him, for me as a manager I’m really keen to keep Harry with the group and part of the squad.

Barton added: “It will depend on how fit he can stay and how long he is going to be on the treatment table. For us, he’s had a bit of a disrupted season, and I think from Harry’s perspective, he wants a bit of stability, but obviously from the clubs perspective, we can’t sign players who are injured and keep getting injured.

“There’s a bit of a Mexican stand-off at the minute, we’re keen to keep Harry part of the group and I think he’s got a lot still to offer. We’re just working through that to see how that pans out in the next couple of weeks.”