Millwall head coach Edwards gives reasons for not resting Ryan Leonard against Leicester City

Millwall head coach Joe Edwards has explained why he did not give Ryan Leonard a rest in their FA Cup tie against Leicester City – with a lack of available defensive cover one of the factors.

The 31-year-old is facing around six weeks out with a grade two hamstring strain suffered in the 3-2 loss to the Foxes.

Leonard, who signed a new 12-month deal in the summer, has seen the past couple of campaigns disrupted by injuries.

He has played the full 90 minutes in the eight Championship matches before facing Leicester and being forced off in the 42nd minute.

“I had a look at the schedule we had but when it got to the final league game of the block, it was Monday (for Bristol City) going into Saturday (for Leicester) – I didn’t feel that was too intense,” said Edwards.

“We had a couple of days off to completely shut down and rest after Bristol City, then a couple of days of training.

“With Murray (Wallace), Brooke (Norton-Cuffy) and Hutch (Shaun Hutchinson) out as well, I didn’t really have the luxury to do it.

“I knew Lenny had experienced a couple of injury issues in the past but, at the same time, he was coming off the pitch looking and feeling strong each time. You don’t want to take players out of your defensive line too easily.

“You speak to those guys – the types like Lenny and Hutch and the stage of their career they are at -they are desperate to play. They want to keep proving themselves and how valuable they can be to the team.

“Any conversation you have and potentially open the door for them to ask for a rest or tell you they are fatigued – they don’t.

“They very much want to be out there. It’s the risk you run.

“Had we been going into the Leicester game and I’d had a fully fit squad to choose from – and not such a strong opponent – then possibly it would’ve crossed my mind. My hand was kind of forced in terms of team selection and rotating where I could – given we still wanted to be competitive against a top team.”

PICTURE: BRIAN TONKS