Kion Etete injury time frame, and praise from Matt Hamshaw for Rotherham United's game-changing substitutes
ROTHERHAM United are seeking to have loan striker Kion Etete back in the selection frame by the time their first derby of the season comes around.
The Cardiff City man is out of action with a groin injury suffered in the League One clash at Stevenage last weekend but isn't expected to be out for a long period.
His absence is likely to be around a fortnight, which would put him in contention for the South Yorkshire showdown at Doncaster Rovers on August 30.
“Hopefully Etete should be back in the next couple of weeks,” manager Matt Hamshaw said.
The Millers would welcome a quick return for the 23-year-old former Tottenham Hotspur player as they have just lost their main source of goals, Sam Nombe, to a hamstring problem for the next few months.
They travel to Cardiff on Saturday and Etete wouldn't have been eligible to face his former club even if he'd been fit.
He sat out Tuesday night's Carabao Cup triumph at Salford City where Rotherham triumphed 3-2 in a penalty shoot-out after the first-round tie had ended goalless.
Hamshaw liked much of what he saw, especially after he'd made substitutions in the second half.
Jack Holmes, Denzel Hall, Dan Gore and Marvin Kaleta were introduced just after the hour mark and the Millers played their most dangerous football with that quartet on the pitch.
“The lads who came on changed the game,” the boss said. “Holmesy was a threat and Denzel is just a class above. Everything he does is assured and confident. Dan was a threat, even though he missed his penalty.”
The boss joked about the Manchester United loan midfielder: “Good luck to him if he gets one at Old Trafford if he's missing at Salford! I've just said that to him and he started laughing. All his family are here this evening.”
The Millers went through with a penalty to spare after two Cameron Dawson saves and successful kicks by Joe Powell, Holmes and Hall.
The shoot-out was held in front of the stand housing Salford fans who made a rowdy attempt to distract the visiting players.
“The penalties being at their end, it's a good test of our lads' character,” Hamshaw said. “I'm really proud of them.”