Final opportunity for Lenny Agbaire to stake Saturday claim for Rotherham United
TODAY has been Lenny Agbaire's last chance to prove his fitness and earn his place in Rotherham United's squad for this weekend's League One clash with Leyton Orient.
The young centre-half returned early from the Scotland under-21 international camp because of groin tightness and has been receiving treatment at the Millers' Roundwood base in the build-up to the visit of the U's to AESSEAL New York Stadium.
He hadn't trained up to and including Thursday and needed to rejoin the main group this morning to push himself into the selection frame.
"If he comes back in tomorrow and trains, he'll be involved on Saturday," manager Matt Hamshaw told the Advertiser yesterday. "If not, then we'll get him ready for Barnsley (October 25)."
Another player called up for international duty, Ar'Jany Martha, was due to link up with the club again today and is likely to have to settle for a place on the bench against Orient.
The long-distance travel involved in representing Caribbean island Curacao is so tiring that Rotherham don't plan to risk the attacker from the start against Orient.
Martha, who hit top form in the 2-2 draw with Bradford City before departing these shores and being absent for the wins over Oldham Athletic and Northampton Town, was an unused substitute in World Cup qualifiers against Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago
"He didn't get any minutes, which is obviously frustrating, and his journey back is ridiculously long," Hamshaw said.
"In the Bradford game, he was exceptional and then we lost him. But it's an honour for him to be part of things with his country. They're close to qualifying for the World Cup and it will be amazing for Ar'Jany if they manage to do that.
"It's not just two games he's missed, it's going to end up being the best part of three, and that's a disappointing thing for me."
The Millers suffered similarly last month during the previous international break when the former Ajax man returned too late to be a starter.
"We had this at (AFC) Wimbledon when he didn't get back until Friday afternoon and he'd been through time zones and his sleep was affected," Hamshaw said.
"We can't put him out there against Orient but he'll be involved in the squad and probably, like at Wimbledon, he'll come on for some minutes."
The Millers could extend their unbeaten run to four matches and exit the drop zone with a positive result tomorrow but their boss is braced for a hard encounter against Richie Wellens' 13th-placed outfit.
"They've got an amazing squad," Hamshaw said. "I know that because I tried to sign a lot of those players in the summer. Richie did an amazing job last year (play-off final).
"They're really good going forward and they score a number of goals. They've invested well – I think probably more heavily than they have done in previous years.
"We have to be 'on' it. I'm not taking anything for granted. It will be another tough test but it's a test that I'm looking forward to."