McKenna: Burns Out, Nunez Could Return
Friday, 20th Mar 2026 15:09
Town will be without Wes Burns but could have Marcelino Nunez back in their squad for Saturday’s top-of-the-table clash against Millwall at Portman Road.
Burns limped off at Sheffield Wednesday last week with a calf injury and was left of the Wales squad for their World Cup play-off in midweek.
Nunez suffered a hamstring injury against Leicester City a fortnight ago and although he was left out of the Chile squad for friendlies in New Zealand against the All Whites and Cape Verde.
“Wes won’t be available this weekend,” manager Kieran McKenna said. “Not a serious injury, so that was a positive.
“Will be fit, all being well, during the international break. Marcelino’s touch and go, so we’ll see how he is.”
McKenna says Jaden Philogene came through his 16 minutes at Hillsborough OK having returned from his MCL injury, but the forward has been among a number of players who have been ill this week.
“He’s been OK, there’s actually been a little bit of sickness in the camp this week and he was one of them,” McKenna said. “He’ll be in the squad again tomorrow.”
Aside from that, the Blues boss says there have been one or two niggles following last week’s 2-0 win in South Yorkshire.
“Not too much change, we had a few other knocks and issues around Saturday,” he continued. “One or two are still getting assessed right up to the time of the game, but we’ll have a strong team.”
Regarding Ashley Young, who has been sidelined for two months with a hip issue, McKenna says the 40-year-old is moving in the right direction.
“Progress, but he’s not with the group yet,” he added. “He’s had an injection, some treatment this week and that hopefully push him on now over the international break.”
McKenna says third-choice keeper David Button remains out with a calf problem: “Not back yet, a little bit slower progress than we would have liked, but he’s still not back with the group yet.”
Left-back Conor Townsend has been out since pre-season having suffered an ACL injury which is expected to keep him out for the entire campaign.
“He’s doing well, Conor’s doing well,” McKenna said. “He’s working a lot outside with the rehabilitation coaches doing ball-work, doing all his movement, so it’s just building that up now.
“At this stage of the process it tends to be day on, day off and you gradually build that up and then we’ll start to introduce some contact and some opposition as it goes along, but he’s doing really well.”
Photo: Matchday Images
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