Livingston manager David Martindale has confirmed James Penrice will not return from injury in time for their clash with Aberdeen tomorrow.
The 25-year-old has been side-lined since the beginning of February after undergoing a hip flexor operation.
Martindale has expressed his frustration at being without the Hearts-bound defender for much longer than initially expected, as the injury-ravaged club struggle to pick up points to escape relegation.
The Lions boss explained: "We were told it would be a ten-minute op, key-hole surgery, ten days recovery.”
He continued: "When we eventually had to send him down for the op, suddenly he's ended up with a six-inch scar and a proper wound that needs to heal properly.
"The operation wasn't key-hole in the end which is why we're now looking at six-weeks, on top of the initial three-week periods.
"That's what's killed us because if we knew that was going to be the case, we'd have just got the operation straight away.
"That's just football isn't it. Now it's more about the wound, but he isn't a million miles away. It is too early for Aberdeen, though."
Speaking in January, Martindale admitted Penrice had been playing through injury “to try and keep Livingston in the Premiership”.
Bemoaning the club’s ongoing injury crisis, the manager confirmed Cristian Montano and Andrew Shinnie remain unavailable for tomorrow’s meeting with the Dons, while Joel Nouble has an “outside chance” of returning. Kurtis Guthrie and Mo Sangare are both doubts.
On tomorrow’s game, Mardinale said: "All we can do is approach this game how we have recently, which is just go and try and pick up three points. Don't focus on anything else.
"We can deal with the aftermath after the game, whether that's a win, loss or draw.
"My mindset isn't going to change from matchday one to matchday 38. I've never walked away from a fight in my life, and I don't intend to walk away from it now.
"I knew it was going to be tough this season, but I never knew it would be this hard. I'm not oblivious as to how big that hole is that we're in. I'm not stupid. But we've still got chances and an opportunity to get out of it.”
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