An update on all 10 of Rotherham United’s missing men
He had an op on November 4 and will do well to play again in 2026
Rotherham United went into the international break with a casualty count running into double figures.
That situation should have eased by the time the Millers resume their League Two programme in front of a sold-out away following at Grimsby Town on November 21, but boss Alex Bruce will still be lacking the services of at least seven players.
Here's a round-up of who's out and who should be available again when the trip to Blundell Park comes around.
INJURIES
Attacker Fabio Tavares ruptured his Achilles tendon in a Jersey Mike's Trophy match at York City on September 22 and won't play again this season after undergoing surgery. He has been a big miss and Rotherham's results have suffered in his absence.
Right-back Joe Rafferty had just re-established himself in the team when he damaged his thigh in a league clash at Swindon on October 31. He, too, is set to be sidelined for the rest of the campaign following an operation.
Putting the captain's rehabilitation at "between four and six months", Bruce said: "His season is over."
Utility man Ewan Otoo had been targeting a comeback in time for the festive schedule after picking up a thigh problem in the same match that saw Tavares limp out of the first-team frame.
He had surgery and his issue turned out to be more severe than initially thought. "It's going to drag into the new year," Bruce has said.
Jamie Jellis arrived at AESSEAL New York Stadium in the summer with a stellar fitness record and has had nothing but bad luck since then.
After missing seven weeks through calf trouble, the midfielder was hit by a serious knee injury in the last minute of the October 20 2-2 draw with Newport County, just four games into his comeback.
He had an op on November 4 to repair his meniscus and will do well to play again in 2026.
"Eight to 12 weeks," said Bruce around the time of the incident. The head coach revised that to "four to eight weeks" after Jellis’s successful surgery, but that might have been in hope rather than expectation, and the first estimate is likely to be the most accurate prognosis.
Another midfield man, Ossama Ashley, who has been missing since early October, is due back at some stage next month.
He ruptured his plantar fascia - a band of connective tissue that runs across the bottom of the foot and acts as a shock absorber - against Gillingham and is well on with his rehab
Wide man Marvin Kaleta is eyeing a place in the matchday 18 at Grimsby following his recovery from the latest in a series of hamstring problems that have blighted his time in South Yorkshire.
He had been showing signs of being a real danger on the flank until the injury kept him out of the last seven fixtures. The 22-year-old has been running for around a fortnight and was due to return to full training this week.
BANS
Jili Buyabu still has two games of a three-match suspension left to serve following his straight red card for elbowing an opponent at Swindon. He will miss the Mariners contest and also the home encounter the week after against Oldham Athletic.
The attacker will be eligible for the midweek away clash at Barnet on December 1, but there is no guarantee he will be handed a squad place by Bruce who wants to see a big improvement in attitude and responsibility from the Sheffield United loanee.
The Grimsby trip will see Kian Spence complete his three-match punishment for his sending-off against Shrewsbury Town and the midfielder will be available for the Oldham game.
Dominic Iorfa served a one-match suspension in the FA Cup win at Bromley on November 7 and will be back in the squad at Grimsby.
It remains to be seen whether Bruce brings the experienced centre-half straight back into the starting 11 or keeps faith with the defence that kept a clean sheet in a 2-0 triumph against the League One Ravens.
ILLNESS
Top scorer Paul Mullin will be on the team bus heading to Grimsby where he will seek to add to his eight-goal tally now that he has recovered from the flu bug that kept him at home while Rotherham were winning in south-east London.