OLDHAM Athletic are this week set to add to their medical team to help deal with an injury list that has reached unacceptable levels, according to new boss David Unsworth.

Latics have had up to 14 players sidelined, devastating an already small squad that was overhauled in the summer.

The congested treatment room has impacted on team selection since early season, with the spine of the team in captain Liam Hogan, midfielder Dan Gardner and veteran striker Chris Porter all missing a big chunk of the season, with Hogan not expected back until next month at the earliest as he recovers from a foot injury.

Summer signings Zaine Francis-Angol, Louis Maynard and Jordan Windass are also among the absentees, along with Academy graduate Will Sutton and forward Hallam Hope, who is still recovering after being assaulted after the Chesterfield game and suffering serious injuries.

No official timeframe has been put on anyone's return by the club, but the extent of Latics' injuries came as a shock to manager Unsworth after his appointment just over a fortnight ago.

“It’s not acceptable for us to have the amount of injuries that we have. I’m not having it," he said.

“I can be patient but at the same time I can’t expect or want 13-14 players in the treatment room. I’m not having it, so the sooner we get them out on the pitch.

“That’s too many for any football club to take and accept, but especially at this level. We just can’t have that.

“That’s an ongoing issue and ongoing process, and hopefully we’ll have something to help that this week.

“We’re doing everything we can to make that situation better."

Some of the injured players are making good progress in their recovery, but Saturday is expected to come too soon for any of them to make a much needed comeback.

"Potentially next week a couple of them will be back, probably not in time for the weekend's game," said the Latics boss.

"We'll see what we've got on Thursday morning when we come back together."

The extensive injury list has also been a contributing factor in Latics delving into the transfer market, with National League teams not tied by transfer windows.

Goalscoring midfielder John Rooney became Unsworth's first signing at Boundary Park last week, and he is actively looking to strengthen his squad further.

“The players that we want to bring into the team, into the squad, have to be better than what we already have," he said.

"I won’t bring in anybody that isn’t better than what I think or the staff think we have."

Latics are understood to have had an offer accepted for Scunthorpe striker Joe Nuttall.