Wigan Athletic are hopeful of having Leon Clarke available again before the end of the season after scans revealed that the striker has avoided a serious shoulder injury.
The Wolverhampton Wanderers loanee was stretchered off on a spinal board and neck brace 10 minutes into Wigan's Championship loss to Charlton Athletic on Friday.
Clarke was grounded for almost 10 minutes and the concern as he was taken to hospital at half time was that he had suffered a shoulder blade injury.
However, scans have shown that the 30-year-old striker only sustained soft-tissue damage and therefore Latics boss Malky Mackay is hopeful of having him back available to help in their fight against relegation.
"The second scan showed there is no crack in the shoulder-blade, which is terrific news," Mackay told reporters. "It's only a soft-tissue injury, and we're hoping to get him back.
"When? I don't know. But soft-tissue injuries heal quickly, whereas breaks are longer term.
"That's a positive for the football club that we can him back, and we will be getting him back."
Clarke has scored once in four games since joining Wigan, who are nine points adrift of Championship safety.
Joe Fish
