Crewe Alexandra boss David Artell will give his injured trio, Mikael Mandron, Daniel Powell and Harry Pickering as long as possible to declare themselves fit and available for selection for this weekend’s fixture against Ipswich Town.

With Donervon Daniels, Luke Offord, Josh Lundstrum and Callum Ainley all ruled out through injury, the Alex boss would certainly welcome a boost in squad numbers.

The club’s leading scorer, Mandron was deemed fit enough to take his place on the substitutes’ bench for the trip to Gillingham but was unused during the 4-1 defeat.

The former Sunderland and Gillingham man suffered a knee injury when landing awkwardly at Plymouth and although he made a brief appearance in the 3-2 home win over Bristol City, the Frenchman has been struggling for minutes.

Daniel Powell has not featured since Boxing Day after suffering a knee injury and the winger has only recently been able to return to full training.

Pickering also remains doubtful after missing the club’s last two games with a back injury. The left-back, who had been made club captain following Ng’s departure to Cardiff City, suffered a severe back spasm against Bristol Rovers and his training has been limited due to the discomfort.

On a plus side, Billy Jones, is expected to be available again after missing Tuesday’s defeat in Kent. Jones, 33, has not played much football for his parent club Rotherham United this season and was not risked to play two games in a short space of time following his debut against AFC Wimbledon.