The midfielder is still troubled by the hamstring problem that forced him to miss Tuesday’s Champions League game in Milan and physio Derek Wright has refused to commit himself about the player’s availability.
But there was better news about Andy O’Brien who sustained a broken nose in the San Siro.
The Irishman needs an operation to fix the problem but will wait until the end of the season for it.
Of course whether or not O’Brien will retain his place with Jonathan Woodgate available again is open to debate.