Neil Critchley discusses his left-back dilemma ahead of Blackpool's league opener against Plymouth Argyle

The 26-year-old was due to start Tuesday night’s EFL Trophy game against Barrow only to suffer a hamstring injury during the warm-up.

Despite the setback, Critchley is still prepared to give the left-back as much time as possible to prove his fitness ahead of the Plymouth game.

“He’s okay, he’s still a little bit sore,” Pool’s head coach told The Gazette.

“We still have between now and Saturday, so 48 hours to assess him so he’s not completely ruled out. We’re still hopeful.”

Should Husband not recover in time, Blackpool are likely to turn to either Demetri Mitchell or Nathan Shaw to play in his place.

Shaw was called up to replace Husband at late notice on Tuesday night, delivering a strong display.

Mitchell, meanwhile, is available for selection despite not being named in Blackpool’s squad against Barrow.

“Demetri is training, he’s trained the last few days and has looked really sharp and has done well,” Critchley added.

“He will come into contention but young Nathan Shaw did very well against Barrow on Tuesday night as well, so he’s in contention as well.

“Ethan Robson can play left-back as well, he played there for Sunderland when he was younger which I knew before bringing him in.

“As I’ve spoken to you before, having players with versatility in the squad is going to be important this season and that’s why we brought certain players into the club.”

Two others that will come back into contention are Matty Virtue and Oliver Sarkic, who have missed Blackpool’s last two games with knocks.

The duo returned to training on Wednesday and could both feature against Plymouth on Saturday afternoon.

“They’ve trained the last two days and have been fine, there’s been no reactions,” Critchley said.

“They trained today and trained well, so they will be in contention as well.”