Ryan Colclough missed yesterday's Under-21 game due to a slight injury

Ryan Colclough missed the club’s Development Squad encounter against Leeds United on Wednesday after suffering a slight foot injury.

The Alex forward was feeling some discomfort in his Achilles and wasn’t risked as Crewe lost 2-1 late on at Reaseheath.

It was hoped that the talented 20 year-old would have got to close to completing his first 90 minutes on his long road to recovery. He has played twice since returning from a long standing hip and hernia problem and was building up to complete the full 90 minutes.

Steve Davis told crewealex.net: “Ryan has been out for a long, long time and we cannot take any risk with him. He is desperate to get back playing and we know the talent he has.

“He is very close to being back with us on a match day but his next step is to complete a game and then take it from there. If he can do that and trains regularly then he will be judged like all the others. If he can play well and train well then he will back in contention.

“I was out of the game for 10 months when I played, so I know what he is going through. It can be a hard and lonely place. It is tough going into the gym and training on your own.

The boss added: “Rehab can be a rollercoaster. Some days you will see light at the end of the tunnel and other days you will suffer a set-back in your progress. If that happens then you just have to go again.”