Elliot Thorpe facing spell on Shrewsbury sidelines

The 22-year-old wideman has a back injury and while the precise extent of the issue is not yet clear, Town are in discussions with his parent club Luton about the best way to proceed.

Thorpe joined Shrewsbury on a season-long loan deal last month.

Boss Matt Taylor explained: “We are waiting for it to be confirmed but we don’t think it is positive news. All I know is our physio has been in contact with Luton’s physios to see what the best course of action is.

“Elliot came here with high hopes for the season. I think it is a lengthy injury but how long it will rule him out for, I don’t know.”

Thorpe’s is the second significant injury sustained by a Shrewsbury player in recent weeks, with defender George Nurse expected to miss most of the season after undergoing surgery on damaged knee ligaments.

Taylor said it was too soon to know whether the latest setback would alter the club’s recruitment strategy in the final weeks of the transfer window.

He said: “I will need to speak with (director of football) Micky Moore about that.

“We need to find out what it (the injury) is first and foremost, support Elliot and speak to Luton. See what they want to do.

“But take that away for a moment and there is a young man who isn’t going to play football, who was really excited about coming here.

“In the snippets we saw of him, we were really excited about seeing him play and we won’t see that now.

“As disappointed as we are, it is more important we focus on him. I will speak to Elliot and see where his head is at and how he is feeling. The injury is important but we need to find out where he is and make sure he is OK and we support him.”

Striker Max Mata is again unavailable for Tuesday's visit of Burton as the New Zealand international continues to await visa clearance following his move from Sligo Rovers.

"I'm gutted we can't involve him in the squad in some way, shape or form but we are hopeful come the weekend we will have some good news," added Taylor.

"It is disappointing. He has just been in the office to see me and he is desperate to be involved. He is fit, raring to go and wants to help his team-mates out, so that tells you the type of person he is.

"Having had conversations with people at the stadium we can push that on as quickly as possible."