By Matthew Panting

Garry Richards' ankle injury has become a major concern, according to Gillingham boss Andy Hessenthaler.

Richards, pictured, has not seen first-team action since he was substituted during the 4-0 defeat at Millwall in April.

An attempted return in pre-season against Faversham was cut short after the 24-year-old centre-half was withdrawn from the team shortly before kick-off on medical advice.

And now Hessenthaler admitted that Richards might be seeking a second opinion.

"The medical people are looking after him and they might have a look in there – not another operation," he said.

"But they will look at the situation and get a second opinion to see what a different consultant thinks.

"We will have to wait and see what happens over the next few weeks."

Hessenthaler admitted that is a major frustration for both himself and the player.

"Unfortunately for Garry, it has been going on for some time," he said. "We thought he would be back in pre-season but that wasn’t the case.

"He keeps coming back and then reacting to a certain amount of work.

"We’ve got both centre-halves out. Garry is a good centre-half and the best centre-half in the league (Simon King) is out for some time. It is a concern."

How much do you think Gillingham are missing Garry Richards? Have your say in our comments section below.