How close is Rotherham United's Josh Kayode to ending his injury nightmare?

The Millers frontman moved to Carlisle United on a season-long deal on the final day of the summer transfer window only to suffer a serious shoulder injury in his second outing for the Cumbrians.

A hitch at the start of this month delayed his return still further but the 23-year-old is now on the brink of lacing up his boots for competitive action again.

Paul Simpson, boss of the League One side, plans to name the 23-year-old former Republic of Ireland youth international in the squad for Saturday's clash at Cheltenham Town.

“Josh is as frustrated as everybody else is,” the manager said. “With long-term injuries little setbacks are to be expected - it's just normal. But he got one in the last 24 hours before he was going to be involved, which was a real blow for him.

“The game we (originally) had in mind was Port Vale at home (on January 1). Now I would like it to be Cheltenham.

“We tried running him early last week, but he still had a bit of discomfort. We've just got to hope that he comes through it this week.”

Kayode, who moved from Dublin to join Rotherham's youth set-up when he was 16, has been no stranger to injuries in recent times.

Last term, he underwent a knee operation while on loan at MK Dons and then required surgery on a quad issue when he came back to AESSEAL New York Stadium.

This season, he made four August Championship appearances and played in the League Cup for Rotherham, then signed a new contract until the summer of 2025 before linking up with Carlisle.

He had a successful loan spell at Brunton Park in the 2020/21 campaign, scoring eight goals, and the Blues are hoping he has the same impact again as they bid to escape the drop zone.

“We're just hoping that we can get him out there because he's been a big miss to us,” Simpson said.