New injury update on Rotherham United's Jonson Clarke-Harris and Steve Evans reveals the reason why Sean Raggett can't play

The striker is sidelined after damaging his hamstring in the act of scoring against former club Peterborough United on October 12.

But his comeback is progressing well and manager Steve Evans believes the summer signing will be back in action quicker than expected.

“He's already outside again,” the boss told the Advertiser this afternoon. “He's up to about 60 per cent today and that's great news. He's way ahead of schedule.”

The Millers are at home to Stevenage in League One on Saturday, entertain Cheltenham Town in the FA Cup first round the following weekend and then head to South Yorkshire rivals Barnsley for a third-tier encounter on Friday November 8.

They are due to face Bolton Wanderers at AESSEAL New York Stadium eight days after that but Evans is anticipating the match being postponed because of national call-ups in the visitors' squad.

That leaves the trip to Crawley Town on November 23 as the comeback target for Clarke-Harris who had bagged four goals in eight outings until his misfortune at Posh.

“We're certainly talking straight after the international break for Jonson if he carries on at this speed,” Evans said.

Meanwhile, the manager has revealed that the issue keeping another new arrival, Sean Raggett, out of the team is bone bruising to his knee.

The centre-half has been receiving treatment since September 21 and can't be selected until the pain subsides.

Evans recalled a player from his first spell in charge at New York a decade ago, Michael O'Connor, having his game-time restricted by the same problem.

“It (playing) depends on your pain threshold,” Evans said. “You and I could have toothache and one of us would get up and go to work and the other would be crying in the bedroom.

“Our first-ever experience of that was here with Michael, a brilliant midfield player. He always had little issues with his knees. It was never about a cartilage or a medial ligament, it was bone bruising.

“It was a problem to him because it's just pain when you move. That's what Raggy's got. They (the medical staff) tell me he's a lot better today.”

Seventeenth-placed Rotherham are looking to bounce back against Stevenage after having their hopes of mounting a push towards the play-offs hit by defeats against Wrexham and Leyton Orient.

“We need to get beyond the international break,” Evans said. “That's why the next three results are really important.

“We need our supporters against Stevenage, we need their patience. We'll try to win it from the first minute to the last minute. There's a home cup tie to look forward to. In recent years, we've been poor in the cup, so let's have a positive result. Then we go to Barnsley and everyone loves to win a derby.”

Assistant manager Paul Raynor has been charged with misconduct by the FA following an incident after the 1-0 New York loss to Wrexham last Saturday.

The FA allege the number two “acted in an improper manner and/or used abusive and/or insulting words towards a match official around the changing room”.

Raynor has until Monday to respond.