Steve Cotterill: Injured Shrewsbury stars have our full support

The Salop boss revealed earlier this week the pair were heading down to London for their final injections to clear up persistent injury issues.

O’Brien has struggled with a groin problem and has only made one start for Town – in the EFL Trophy against Stockport.

Whereas Dacosta, on loan from Coventry, suffered a slight tear in his hip flexor, and he has not featured much since starting their first six League One matches.

But Cotterill insisted everybody at the club is right behind the pair as they try to get back onto the pitch.

“I think it is important in a time like this – for them to know we are all behind them,” the boss said. “We are behind them in the training ground, we are behind them publicly and they have our support. And we can only do that until we get them back.

“They are not a million miles away they are at that last bit, but we can’t step them up anymore.

“It is tough on them as well, they want to be out, on the training ground, with the rest of the boys.

“They do not want to be stuck in the gym or the physio room, and it is hard on them.

“It is hard on the physios as well.

“They want to be back out on the pitch playing and training with their team-mates.

“So I think sometimes what can get overlooked in a situation like this and by managers alike. We forget about their emotions a little bit – and their emotions are very important.”

The pair have made a couple of attempts to recover from their injuries but have both suffered a couple of setbacks.

According to Cotterill, they are getting the best possible care, but if these injections are not successful, then they may have to undergo exploratory surgery to find out the extent of their issues.

“With these two scenarios now, we are in the last chance saloon for them to work,” he continued. “If they don’t work again, I probably think we will be looking at exploratory surgery on what they have already had done.

“I genuinely don’t know from there where we go.

“They have been to see one of the top surgeons in Europe down in London.

“He does not just do our guys he does Premier League players, at this moment in time they are not back with us.

“We will get them back we just can’t be definitive with any time on it at the moment.”