HARRY Smith has been struggling with a knee injury that means he won’t feature at all for the first team this season.
Smith, 22, has recently returned to training. He last featured in a competitive game for the Lions in the under-23s’ 1-1 Professional Development League draw at Cardiff on January 8.
Striker Smith played 19 times on loan at League Two Swindon until December this season, scoring three goals.
He hasn’t played a senior competitive fixture for Millwall since February 2017, after bursting onto the scene with six goals in his first six games following his move from non-league Folkestone Invicta the previous summer.
“Harry has had seven or eight weeks now recovering from a knee problem that we’re more likely to see in young players, as in those in the academy,” Millwall boss Neil Harris explained.
“He has been back on the training pitch after working hard in the gym. We were hoping he might have got some minutes on Monday for the under-23s.
“He’s not going to feature for the first team this season, that’s very unlikely. We need to make sure that he’s physically in the right state. If we push him too soon then there is a chance that he will break down.
“It’s not worth us taking that risk with him.”
Image: Millwall FC