Injury problems mount for Shrewsbury - but Aiden O'Brien handed boost

But he gave a more positive outlook on Aiden O’Brien’s injury, suggesting there was no clear problem with the results of the forward’s scan.

The pair, who were both on the bench at Plymouth just over a week ago, suffered setbacks and missed out on Salop’s trip to Portsmouth just four days later, with the club later assessing the duo this week.

“It’s unlikely that we will see Julien now until December,” Wilbraham said, speaking ahead of Salop’s FA Cup fixture with York City this weekend.

“And with Aiden, although nothing clear has come back on the scan, we’re just going to continue his rehab and get him stronger in the gym. Hopefully, there will be no more setbacks.”

Town have had horrendous luck on the injury front so far this season, with both Dan Udoh and George Nurse rupturing ACLs within weeks of each other.

The pair have now had surgery on their injuries and are expected to spend the rest of the season recovering. Ryan Bowman and Matthew Pennington have also missed games through injury, and so has Marko Marosi, who hurt his finger in Town’s win against Burton Albion.

And Wilbraham said Town have been incredibly unlucky to have had the two cruciate injuries, and he says that the medical staff at the club do a great job.

He said: “We do everything from the fitness coach department and medical department, we do everything right.

“I have experienced a lot as a player, and I know there are no corners cut.

“It has literally been bad luck.

“In the 24 years I played I think I probably played with one player who did a cruciate.

“To think we have had two cruciate injuries in the space of a couple of months shows you how unlucky we have been really.

“But there is nothing we can do really.

“I remember having these seasons as a player where all of a sudden you are in a team that has lots of injuries, and then the next season you might only get a couple.

“It is just luck of the draw.”