Walsall man Joe Riley dealt another injury setback
Walsall midfielder Joe Riley has suffered another injury setback – with boss Michael Flynn not putting a time frame on his potential return to fitness.
Riley, a summer signing from League Two rivals Carlisle United, has been out since picking up an unspecified problem in pre-season.
It was hoped the 25-year-old would be back training this week, but another flare-up has prevented that from being the case and Flynn does not currently know when he will be back in action.
"Joe Riley's had a reaction again. We thought he might have been training today, which would have been a good lift – not just for him but everybody to see him there," said Flynn.
"He's got a lot of ability, but he's another one that I don't know how long he's going to be.
"I'm not going to even keep guessing anymore, because every time I give you an update and say he's getting closer, there's been a reaction.
"It's a nightmare, if I'm honest.
"It's been two months or two-and-a-half months now. Sometimes, you'd sooner find a hairline fracture and have a time frame of six to eight weeks, because you know what that is. You know how to treat it.
"This one is very, very frustrating, and I'm not going to even attempt to say how long I think."
Riley remains on the sidelines alongside Conor Wilkinson, Joss Labadie, Oisin McEntee and Liam Gordon.
There is positive news on Gordon, at least, as Flynn added: "They're all working hard. Liam's back on the grass, which is good.
"Oisin, Joss and Conor, they're all still months more than weeks."
