Shrewsbury Town dealt blow as defender's injury prognosis revealed

The 32-year-old was forced off early in the second half of last weekend’s 2-0 defeat at Harrogate and is likely to be sidelined for between three and four weeks.

Boss Michael Appleton is hopeful Sam Stubbs, who also had to go off in Yorkshire, will be able to play in Saturday’s clash with MK Dons.

But Anderson is definitely out as Appleton explained: “It looks like he is going to be out for three to four weeks, which is obviously a bit of a disappointment for us. 

“Stubbsy is 50/50 but we are quite confident he could be OK for Saturday. 

“It is a little bit frustrating. You saw the disruption to the team (at Harrogate) when Tom and Stubbsy came off. That wasn’t helpful. To lose two players in the space of five or 10 minutes was difficult.”

Appleton, meanwhile, is ready to give Chuks Aneke more minutes as the striker nears full fitness following his arrival earlier this month.

The 32-year-old free agent signing saw his first taste of action as a second half substitute in the defeat at Harrogate but is on course to play a more prominent role against the Dons.

Asked how close Aneke might be to starting a match, Appleton replied: “He’s very close. He’s had a good week, this week. He had half a week and the following week when he first came in. This week he’s had a full week. 

“So he’s in a little bit better position than he was this time a week ago. 

“We just need to keep building on him and if we can get more minutes into him on Saturday, that’s the plan.”