Louis Millard faces several weeks out with a shoulder injury, creating a potential international-call-up headache for Swindon Town.
Millard dislocated his shoulder against Colchester United and is expected to miss around three weeks.
The 17-year-old made a blistering start, setting up the opener against Cardiff City before scoring his first professional goal to seal a 3-1 win over Port Vale.
That strike came just a few hours after he learned that he had been included in Benni McCarthy’s provisional Kenya squad ahead of their 2027 AFCON qualifiers against Eritrea and Guinea.
The Harambee Stars are also dealing with injuries, and Millard’s setback means that he misses the chance to begin forcing his way into Kenya’s full squad for the tournament in June, which they will co-host alongside Tanzania and Uganda.
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Beyond Millard’s disappointment, Swindon could lose two players to international duty during the next window and would need a third call-up to postpone matches, as Port Vale and Barnet have done.
Stephan Negru made his debut for Moldova in March, and his strong start to the season could see him called upon by Lilian Popescu for their UEFA Nations League C matches against Slovakia, Faroe Islands, and Kazakhstan.
If selected, Swindon’s starting centre-back would miss games against Newport County, Accrington Stanley and Rochdale between September 21 and October 7.
The 23-year-old has been one of two ever-present players in the Swindon defence so far this season, and being without him would be a major blow.
Sam Inwood has also established himself in the Northern Ireland Under-21 squad, earning his first call-up in March 2025 and featuring in most squads since.
The Young Green Army have a trio of qualifiers for next summer’s UEFA European Under-21 Championship against Malta, Georgia, and Greece, and his selection would see him miss the same games as Negru.
Tommy Wright calling him up again would see Swindon lose two centre-backs for a key run of games.
With Mitch Clark beginning a three-match ban for violent conduct after his red card at York City, Swindon could be seriously short at the back.
Ryan Tafazolli could return this weekend, but Ian Holloway would still have to choose four defenders from Tafazolli, James Ball, Kaelan Majekodunmi, Billy Kirkman, Dan Butler and Lucas Griffiths-Brown.
Ollie Clarke has also been used in defence, but he has struggled with fitness problems throughout his time at Swindon, and is also a crucial cog in midfield.
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