PHYSIO Harry Reddick feels Latics are counting the cost of an action-packed August when it comes to their rack of injuries.

And he believes the ongoing knock-on effects of Covid-19 could also be a factor in the number of players queuing for the treatment table.

Sam Hart, Ouss Cisse, Jamie Hopcutt, Danny Rogers, Jack Stobbs, Harrison McGahey and Alan Sheehan all joined the club in the summer and have all been sidelined by injury just a month into the season.

Nicky Adams has also joined in the treatment room after being forced off at half-time of Saturday's defeat at Leyton Orient.

Cisse's is the most serious of the group, with the midfielder not expected back until the end of the year after after suffering a bad hamstring tear, but in most cases the injuries have been enough to sideline the player for at least four weeks.

As head coach Keith Curle noted recently: "It's not a case of getting injured, missing a couple of days' training and then coming back. They are several weeks."

Football clubs at every level recorded higher than average cases of injuries after the first lockdown, with players struggling to meet the day-to-day physical demands that they would experience on a training ground, while Project Restart then led to a reduced break and shorter pre-season notably for the top two divisions, and more games in a shorter period of time.

Similarly, the 2021/22 campaign has got off to a frantic start, with Latics having eight games crammed into August.

"Last year was a challenge with lockdown and the lack of a pre-season. We knew that injuries were up across all leagues and likewise this season we have had a busy start," said Reddick.

"We had a good pre-season with virtually no injuries apart from Harrison, but the match exposure at the start of the season and a number of back-to-back games unfortunately means there has been a much higher injury incidence."

With the Carbao Cup and Papa John's Trophy competitions getting under way, Latics had midweek fixtures every week in the opening month.

But in some cases, Reddick feels Latics' casualties are purely down to bad luck.

"Cisse has never had a muscle injury before in his career but has now gone on to have a high-grade hamstring injury," he said.

"Unfortunately we are likely to be looking at a lengthy rehab of over three months.

"Hopcutt was again unlucky after picking up a contact injury to his ligament at Bradford. It was a block-tackle and sadly we can't do a huge amount to reduce the risk of these injuries as they are part of football. There was lateral stress to the knee which caused a ligament injury.

"He's in a brace for the first four weeks of his rehab and will then need a further period of around four to six weeks."

Stobbs missed the bulk of last season having joined Grantham Town in the Northern Premier League - a competition that was cut short due to the ongoing pandemic.

"Jack was loving being back playing but after a year out we always knew he was going to carry a little bit more of a risk," Reddick said.

"We worked with Jack over several months and he was physically in a good position but picked up a hamstring injury at Bristol Rovers.

"It does have some tendon involvement so we've got to treat it with respect and give it a little bit longer.

"We'll probably look to re-image him in a few weeks with a view to returning in around six weeks."