ARGYLE manager Paul Sturrock has conceded that he may need to rest Paul Gallagher until the striker fully recovers from his knee injury.
The on-loan striker from Blackburn Rovers has been unable to shake off the injury that he picked up during the team's Boxing Day's clash with Southampton and Luggy believes that this has severely affected the player's form.
He said: "I feel Gallagher has to come to the show.
"For the standards that he was achieving, he's nowhere near to those standards now.
"Gall has won us football games, don't get me wrong, [but] I think we're being unfair on the boy now.
"He's been carrying a knee injury and maybe I've been going to the well too many times.
"We're going to have to get to the bottom of that.
"His confidence has gone down the pan because he's completely different from what he was two months ago.
"If that means he has to come out and rest until that knee is proper, that's what we're going to do.
"I've selected him once or twice on pure performance but it's now gotten to that stage where I've got to get 11 boys that are at the top of their game and ready for the battle."
Unfortunately for Luggy, Gallagher is not the only player currently trying to overcome injury.
David Gray, who is on-loan from Manchester United, has missed the past four games due to an ankle knock he collected away at Nottingham Forest.
As a result, the player has had to pull-out of Scotland's upcoming Under-21 camp
"Gray has not responded to the treatment we hoped for up at Manchester," he continued.
"It looks like he will be a week or two yet before he is back in the fray."
Although the manager has some respite knowing striker David McNamee successfully had treatment on his fractured cheekbone obtained during Argyle's 1-1 draw at Preston North End, he has not ruled out the possibility of bringing in further faces to Home Park.
"McNamee has had a very successful operation the other day but it will probably be four to five weeks before he's back in," he said.
"We'll have to see the troops and see what the story is with all the injuries.
"If it means we have to take some loans in again then we will go down that road."
Matt Skinner
