Blackpool FC: Neil Critchley provides Shayne Lavery injury update and reveals when he expects the striker to return to action

The striker was forced off with a hamstring injury during the first half of the Seasiders’ 3-0 defeat to Lincoln City at the LNER Stadium.

Critchley believes the decisiveness over the substitution prevented Lavery from sustaining a longer-term problem.

"He’ll miss this weekend,” he said.

"He’ll miss international duty as well, but he’s okay- it’s not a long-term one.

"Bringing him off, which is something we didn’t want to do at that stage of the game, might’ve saved from being out for longer.

"We’re expecting it to be a couple of weeks at the most.

"If you look right across football, hamstring injuries are becoming such a common occurrence now.

"You speak to the physios and the doctors, and they’re saying the exact same thing.

"In the last two years, the request for scans for hamstring injuries have gone through the roof.

"It’s becoming such a common theme because of the extra workload and the amount of games put on the players.

"It’s not something just about Blackpool, it’s right across the board.”

Alongside Lavery, the Seasiders are only without two additional players through injury ahead of this weekend’s game against Wigan Athletic.

"There’s only Jordan Gabriel and Kyle (Joseph)- that’s it,” Critchley added.

"If you look across the squad and the injuries we have at the moment, it’s minimal.

"Unfortunately the ones we are missing could make a big contribution to the team, but that’s football and it gives other players opportunities.”