Neil Critchley provides update on Blackpool absentees as he prepares to make squad calls for Cambridge United trip

Only Shayne Lavery and Kylian Kouassi are currently ruled out for this weekend’s game against Cambridge United.

Critchley is hoping the pair will be back in team training before the new year, as they continue to recover from hamstring injuries.

"Shayne and Kylian are on a very similar timeline- they’re the only injury issues we’ve got at the moment,” he said.

“They’re both back on the grass doing some running. They’re in the early stages so they’re not going to be ready in the short-term but hopefully in the next couple of weeks they’ll start to join in training and get closer to being back in the squad.

“We’ll have to see if they are able to be involved in any of the games over Christmas. We’ll see how they get through the next week or so.

"With there being little time between each game it’s going to be hard to give them the training that they need to be up to speed. Both have been brilliant on the pitch for us, but they know they face competition when they come back.

"We make sure each player gets the appropriate training for when they’ve not been in the team.

"With the amount of games we’ve got coming up, all of our players are going to be called upon because they’re needed.

"I’d be very surprised if the team that starts against Cambridge is the same as the one on January 1 against Lincoln.”

In the recent victory over Carlisle, the Seasiders were able to welcome back captain Ollie Norburn following a spell on the sidelines, with the midfielder coming off the bench in stoppage time.

“He’s had another week in training,” Critchley added.

"We felt it was important for him to be around the squad because he’s a voice and a presence in the dressing room. He brings something that some of the players don’t.

"It was nice to see him back on the pitch because it’s been a frustrating few weeks for him. He wants to play and help everyone.

"Marvin (Ekpiteta) is also available for the weekend. There were a few players that were feeling a little bit fatigued after the Tuesday game against Barnsley. To play at the intensity we want to, the loading is really important, and we always try to manage the players the best we can.”