Malky Mackay reveals new timeline for Ross County duo Josh Reid and Josh Sims to return from Aberdeen injuries; says Scotland under-19s call will benefit academy graduate Dylan Smith hugely
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Malky Mackay does not expect to see either Josh Reid or Josh Sims play for Ross County this month.
Both players took hefty challenges against Aberdeen in the League Cup quarter final last week, with each man being sent to hospital to receive treatment and not being discharged until Thursday morning.
Initial signs on Reid had been somewhat promising, with scans showing that the defender had not broken his foot.
However, there was more concern over Sims, with skin and muscle both needing to be stitched back together – and a timeframe for his return was less certain.
Now, though, the roles have been reversed, with Staggies manager Mackay revealing that he does not expect Reid to be involved again before the start of December, while Sims could be back more quickly.
“Josh Reid has a pretty bad injury," Mackay explained.
"There’s nothing broken, but it is in his big toe. He has struggled to walk since and is in crutches still.
"It is not an area of the foot that a lot of bloodflow gets to. That could take at least two months.
“With Josh Sims it is really the cut that has to heal. It is okay in terms of the manipulation of his ankle – it is just a little bit higher up, so we just need to make sure that the cut seals.
“For that to open again, we could be talking about infection and complications like that, so his is more about the cut healing than anything else.
“I’m reluctant to put time on it, but you would hope that in a month’s time he’ll be able to come back. It will be at least a month."
One player who had missed recent weeks' events but who returned to the squad against Hearts, though, was Dylan Smith.
The teenager turned his ankle while on international duty with Scotland's under-19s last month, and although he has not played for County since he has once again been called up by Billy Stark for the friendlies against Ireland and Portugal next week.
"He will have done 10 days' training by the time the next camp comes around, and Billy was really keen for Dylan to go with them," Mackay added.
"I get that, because for experience value it's good for Dylan to go with them, and it's another step on the ladder of learning against top, young, foreign players and that will benefit him hugely.
"We have a player who is getting into that international circuit, and he has to go and test himself against Europe's best at that age which will only benefit our football club if he puts his shoulder to the wheel.
"He's one of five or six young players we have at the club at the moment. Yes, he is in our first team and hasn't gone out on loan, and he has had international recognition, but that will mean nothing if he doesn't have the work ethic and progress in the next couple of years.
"Right now we have guys in the Highland League who are overachieving, and coming on leaps and bounds, which I'm really happy about."
