Leam Richardson delivers a downbeat fitness bulletin on Rotherham United's Jordan Hugill

The much-travelled centre-forward joined the club in January 2023 following his departure from Norwich City and hardly missed a match in his first year at AESSEAL New York Smith.

However, the 31-year-old sat out the last game, against Huddersfield Town, will miss Easter contests with Preston North End and Millwall and could continue to be absent into the last six fixtures of the Championship campaign.

“It's not looking great,” boss Leam Richardson said. “Speaking to the lad himself, he's very aware of his own body.

“He's a senior player and knows what he can tolerate, what he can't and what he needs to do to make sure he's available to perform at the optimum level.

“At the minute, he doesn't think he can perform at the optimum level. We're going to investigate and find out the best way forward for him and the club.”

Last term, Hugill played a big part in the Millers' second-tier survival, adding some experience and physicality up front and hitting the target five times in 18 matches.

The frontman has performed less well this season, managing only three goals in 39 outings and not scoring at all since October.

Having been a regular selection, he found himself in and out of the starting 11 in the weeks leading up to his injury.

He carried on playing despite a knee concern earlier in his Rotherham career but has felt unable to do so this time around.

“Jordan's been to see specialists to see what the best form of recuperation is,” Richardson said. “It's something we're managing on a daily basis.”

Hugill is the latest in a long line of casualties in a injury-hit season that has seen the Millers consistently struggle to fill their nine-man bench.