Gary Rowett is hopeful of having a number of players return to action following the international break.

The Championship side is currently missing the likes of Shaun Hutchinson, Mason Bennett and Ryan Leonard through injury.

The latter pair both suffered hamstring tears during pre-season and have yet to feature for the Lions this season.

Meanwhile, Hutchinson has been absent since tearing his groin in a 2-0 win over Cardiff City at the start of September.

The Millwall boss believes the first fixture of October, against Blackburn Rovers, could see a return for Hutchinson, but it may come too soon for the other two even though they are all nearing a comeback to action for the team.

“I think Hutchy will have a good chance,” said Rowett, via Southwark News.

“He’s probably the closest. I think Benno isn’t far behind, I think he won’t be far off with a game or two after the international break.

“I think Lenny is the one that’s difficult to get a timescale on. 

“I think he’s going to get rescanned, so if we get good results then maybe we can start to accelerate his progress. 

“If not, he might be one that might just be a little behind that.

“Does the international break come at a good time? 

“I don’t know. We won one of our last games and then we didn’t play against Sunderland, then that period felt like we lost a little bit of momentum.

“If there’s an international break then you want to win the game before it, that’s probably all I’m thinking about at the minute.”

 

 

Millwall go into the break off the back of a 2-1 win over Blackpool last weekend, which moved the team up to 13th in the league table.

Rowett’s side have won two of their last three games, to end September with 13 points from their opening 10 games.

Following the international window, the London club returns with fixtures against Blackburn, Rotherham United and Middlesbrough in what is set to be a busy month for the team.

The Verdict

The international break has come at a good time for Millwall, with the win over Blackpool giving the team a positive end to a tricky month.

Having these three players returning during a hectic October will be a welcome boost for Rowett, who will need all hands on deck for the seven games taking place over the next few weeks.

This international window is the last breather the team has before the league pauses for the World Cup in November and could play a big role in determining the shape of the table for the rest of the campaign.

Maintaining everyone’s fitness will be a real challenge, so having these useful squad players return will help Rowett rotate his side during the busy schedule.