Mansfield defender Alex John-Baptiste will have an injection to help ease his troublesome back problem so he is likely to miss Saturday's game.John-Baptiste has been unable to play for over six weeks and is set to have the jab on Thursday.

But Stags physio Paul Madin insists the weekend trip to Wycombe will come too soon for the 22-year-old.

"He has no chance of playing on Saturday. It takes 48 hours for it to take effect, so that game will be too soon," said Madin. "But there are plenty of games in February so there is no point rushing him."

John-Baptiste has been carrying the problem since the start of the season, and Madin insists there is no easy solution.

"He could have an operation but it is very risky as a football player and something you might want to pursue once your career is over. A complete rest would help because he has been playing non-stop since he was 17."

More Football News from TEAMtalk