James Hanson is a growing worry for City ahead of their Yorkshire derby with Sheffield United at the weekend.
Phil Parkinson will give the big targetman as long as possible to prove he is right after medical checks revealed a small fracture in his left hand.
Influential midfielder Mark Yeates has also had an injection in his troublesome knee and has not trained this week.
But while the Irishman is expected to make a full recovery in time for the Valley Parade clash with his former club, Hanson’s position is less sure.
Parkinson said: “At the moment, we will probably leave it with Hans until we’re closer to the game.
“He hasn’t made it worse from playing but we’ve got to mind the fracture and see how it goes. But it is a concern.
“If we’d had a midweek game, obviously both of them would be out.
“Yeatesy’s is a minor problem he had in pre-season. It affected him last week but you need 48 hours’ complete rest after the injection so we had to get him through the Port Vale game first.
“You could see he didn’t look completely comfortable. But he won’t train again until tomorrow and hopefully it will have settled down.”
Hanson, such a key figure in City’s attack, suffered the injury when he landed heavily during a training session on Friday. He played with a bandage at Vale but his performance was muted.
Parkinson said: “He was obviously concerned about it and the fact that it wasn’t until Monday we could see the specialist.
“Nothing showed up on the x-ray but then the scan revealed a small fracture. At least we know the situation now and that should put his mind at rest but we need to see how he feels.”
Meanwhile, 17-year-old striker Oliver McBurnie has been promoted to the senior squad after his sensational start to the season for the youth team.
Fresh from winning the golden boot at the summer’s Milk Cup for Manchester United, McBurnie has scored four goals in the first two games.
He bagged a ‘perfect’ hat-trick against Hull last weekend – left foot, right foot and a header.
With Louie Swain at Park Avenue for a month, Parkinson has invited McBurnie to fill the vacancy.
He said: “We know Oli McBurnie’s form and he has earned the chance. If the opportunity arises, he might be involved in the first-team squad.
“Louie needs games, which he will get over there, and I just think it allows Oli to take that next step to see how he goes.”
Meanwhile, Luke Oliver yesterday came through another 75 minutes as City’s reserves beat Accrington 3-0 in a private game.
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