Strikers may face lengthy spells on the sidelines

DAGENHAM & REDBRIDGE boss John Still admits he is unsure over the future of loanee John Akinde after it was revealed the striker may have to make a shock return to Bristol City.

The Gravesend-born forward arrived at Victoria Road two weeks ago on loan until the end of the season, after previously trying to secure a permanent transfer.

The Daggers boss held off strong competition from clubs including Northampton Town for his signature and was delighted with the new options the 21-year-old afforded him, alongside fellow recent loan signing Marvin Morgan from Aldershot Town.

Akinde (pictured below right) arrived at Victoria Road with a groin injury, which ruled him out of the game against MK Dons, but he was expected to resume full training early last week.

However, after just one session on the training pitch, the former Ebbsfleet forward broke down again with a recurrence of the problem.

Further tests are now taking place on the injury, but it is feared the problem could be severe enough to end his spell in Dagenham.

“That is going on at the moment,” admitted Still.

“John has got a groin problem which we thought was alright when we brought him here.

“He trained once with us, but then started to feel it again in both groins, so he’s getting it checked out.

“He’s gone back to Bristol and we’re waiting for the results.

“If he can’t play then we may have to look at loaning somebody else.”

A potential pitfall however is if the stipulated loan agreement will allow him to return to his parent club or if Daggers will have to hold on to an injured striker for the rest of the season, while also paying his wages.

“It really depends on how bad the injury is, but we’re looking to see,” said Managing Director Steve Thompson.

“We don’t want him to go back, obviously we wouldn’t have signed him otherwise, but we’re looking to see how serious the injury is. He’s going through different procedures.”

On whether they can simply send back Akinde – who is thought to be one of the top earners at Victoria Road – Thompson added: “I don’t know the answer to that at the moment. We’ll know more towards the end of the week.”

In the short term at least, Daggers are without a player they had hoped would help spearhead their charge against relegation, but the problems do not end there.

Fellow striker Josh Scott, who we revealed last week has been suffering from a mystery illness, could also be ruled out for the remainder of the season.

After doctors initially suspected he was suffering from pneumothorax, further tests have revealed the 25-year-old has a blood clot.

“Josh won’t be available for some time,” said Still.

“The club doctor is coming in and I’ll have a good chat with him about what the problem is.

“It hasn’t been finalised yet, but in the short term at least he won’t be available.”

With goal-scoring a problem for the club, and two powerful forwards now out for at least the busy February period where the club is due to play seven games, one person who is unlikely to come in to fill the void is Romain Jacuzzi (pictured top right).

The French forward, currently under contract to Laval, impressed on an initial trial for Dagenham and scored in a recent reserve game against Wycombe Wanderers at Adams Park.

It was previously thought a deal was close to being completed for the tall forward, but that too now appears to have been thrown into jeopardy.

The Recorder understands that Jacuzzi was invited back over for the club to have a further look at him last week, but arrived at a time when Still was taking a few days away from the training ground.

It is thought the miscommunication has left a sour taste in the mouth of Jacuzzi and his representatives, who are now reluctant to re-enter negotiations with Dagenham in the near future.

Another person who will not be joining the club is veteran frontman Kevin Gallen.

The former Queens Park Rangers favourite was linked with a move to Victoria Road in the summer, and was released by Luton Town on Monday.