The Sheffield Wednesday manager Garry Monk says Massimo Luongo has suffered ‘a little bit of a setback’.
Luongo has failed to appear since Wednesday’s 5-0 defeat against Blackburn Rovers last month, when he was wrongly sent off.
But despite a successful appeal, injury has robbed the Owls of the Australian’s services for five successive league and cup matches.
Wednesday have won just one of those games – the only one in which their other combative midfielder Sam Hutchinson has featured.
And asked for a fitness update ahead of Reading’s visit to Hillsborough on Saturday, Monk told BBC Radio Sheffield: “Hopefully, Morgan (Fox) can be back – not quite right, so close.
“Again, he’s been big for us hasn’t he, this season? So we’ll see for the weekend with him.
MORE SHEFF WED STORIES
“Massimo (has had) a little bit of a setback. Just picked up a bit of a calf (problem) and soreness. So he’ll be unlikely for the weekend.
“The rest (are) fine.”
Monk has not ruled out a return to his squad for Hutchinson.
The former Chelsea player last appeared in the 2-1 win against Queens Park Rangers last month, but is not thought to be injured.
“No (Hutchinson and Wednesday’s other exiled players are not done at Hillsborough),” said Monk. “We’ll see (if they return).”
Hutchinson, whose name was sung by some fans at Luton, is one of several Sheffield Wednesday players whose contracts are due to expire at the end of the season, along with Fox, Joey Pelupessy, Kieran Lee, Fernando Forestieri, Sam Winnall, Atdhe Nuhiu and Steven Fletcher.
The five loanees, Connor Wickham, Josh Windass, Alessio da Cruz, Jacob Murphy and David Bates, are all due back at their parent clubs then too.
And it is possible that several of those, including Hutchinson, who arrived at Hillsborough from Chelsea in 2014, have played their final game for the club.
Fox, who has missed the Owls’ last three games, is in talks with the club about an extension.