Gillingham head coach Stephen Clemence has updated fans on the injury status of midfielder Dom Jefferies.

The 21-year-old missed the weekend game with Walsall with a thigh injury and the Gills coach says the muscle has torn, leaving him out for around two months.

“It has been a big blow,” said Clemence. “A 21-year-old lad who has been told he can’t play for that amount of time is difficult, I feel for him.

“He is a big miss for the team and the squad and we have to wait for him to heal. He is usually a quick healer but it was quite a nasty tear on his thigh.

“He went to take off, to go into a stride, and he pulled up straight away. I was watching it at the time and I thought ‘oh, that doesnt look good’ and unfortunately that was the news, which is disappointing.”

At the moment there are no plans for surgery.

Clemence continued: “He is a fit lad, as soon as he can get back on the grass and being mobile again I do think he will recover quickly but we have to make sure he does recover properly and we don’t push him too soon because we need him to heal and get better.

“There is still potential he will be back before the end of the season.”

New signing Josh Andrews has taken part in training this week.

“He is doing quite a bit of physical work as well,” said the coach. “We have to get him up to speed from an endurance point of view.

“He is very eager to get involved. He is hungry, he wants to be in the tactical elements of our training and even if he can’t take part fully he wants to know how we play and what we do and when he does come back in he is ready to go and knows what we’re doing.”

Clemence can’t wait to have him available, but said: “I am very eager (to get him involved), but I have a number of strikers here now when they’re all fit and I trust them all.

“Obviously, when a new signing comes through the door I know the supporters will be very eager to see him too, we all are, but no more than the boy himself, there is nothing worse than being injured as a player.

“We hope he can get back as quickly as possible. He won’t be there this weekend, let’s see where we are next weekend.”