Huge blow for Mansfield Town as Rhys Oates is ruled out for rest of the season

The striker has suffered a string of unrelated injuries in the last two seasons and Stags have now reluctantly omitted him from their squad to allow him to fully recover from a knee injury suffered on New Year's Day.

“It is devastating for him and for us,” said manager Nigel Clough

“It's been a terrible 18 months for him on the back of what he had before with a ruptured pectoral muscle.

“Rhys must be the most unlucky player I think we have ever worked with, with the variety of injuries he has had.

“He is such a wholehearted player and every single game we haven't got him available, we miss him.

“There is nothing like him in the bottom two divisions – to come on or start and make something happen in games just through your endeavour and pace. He is just a big miss for us.”

Oates felt his knee go against Bolton when he stepped off the grass onto the artificial surface surrounding the pitch.

“Rhys is going to see a specialist and see if he needs an operation,” said Clough.

“We want to get his knee right. He has been trying to come back in the last four or five weeks or so and suffered setbacks.

“There is obviously something not quite right with it. When he tries to do something it flares up again so we thought the best thing to do was say just get it sorted.

“So he will be out for the rest of the season. We have said don't worry now about coming back as you are not in the squad. Just get ready for pre-season.

“It's two or three months before the end of the season so this is the best thing for him to get his knee sorted.”

Clough continued: “An operation was one of the options last time he was scanned with a three month recovery from it if he does have things tidied up in there.

“That would give him plenty of time then to be able to start back in June. He could do some work leading up to coming back in July and build up to it. That gives him the best chance of being ready for pre-season.

“It's incredible – we have lost him for the best part of 18 months now since he was injured at Stockport on New Year's Day last year.

“He has been a big miss. He is one who can come on and get you a goal, create something or do something. But the biggest priority is him and making sure we get his knee right.”

Stags' final squad for the rest of the campaign saw Tom Nichols and Oates out and Callum Macdonald and Jordan Rhodes in.