Leyton Orient interim manager Jobi McAnuff is ‘disappointed’ to lose defender Adam Thompson for a lengthy period of time after fracturing his ankle in the 1-0 victory over Grimsby Town on Tuesday evening.
The 28-year-old defender joined the O’s in January from Championship side Rotherham United on a two-year-deal to bolster the squad.
But they will now be without the new addition for the time being after just one game in charge for McAnuff – much to the manager’s disappointment.
“I’m really disappointed, he’s been fantastic since he came in, for me he is exactly the type of player that we need to move forward and build,” McAnuff said.
“That experience, we’ve got some fantastic younger players that have come through, but that is the type of characters and personalities that i want in and around the football club.
“He’s a leader, he’s an organiser, he’s very experienced and he is one of those that when he is out on the pitch that to an extent i don’t have to worry about him as i know that he is going to do his job.
“He also helps others do their jobs, so he’ll be a really big miss for us, we hope he makes a full and speedy recovery, but it’s up to the next guy to step up now.
“That is another thing that i really want to drive in the squad and that is competition for places. Also that you have to be ready for that opportunity when it comes.
“Dan Happe was brilliant, he had a disappointment in terms of missing out, I had a really good honest chat with him and where i think he is or was and where he can get too.
“The Dan Happe that came on is the one that i want to see and when he plays like that i’ve said it before he is as good as anyone at this level and shows that he has the potential to go play higher so i was really pleased with his response and it shows that we have got that strength and depth.
“We’re getting stretched to the limit at the minute don’t get wrong so we need to wrap the boys up a little bit.”
Defenders Jamie Turley and Joe Widdowson both came into McAnuff’s first starting line-up and the boss explained the reasoning behind it.
“I want experienced players, especially to start off with, i think it’s very important for me as a young manager knowing what i’m going to get from a certain extent.
“I know and have played with both the lads so i know what they’re going to bring, but certainly defensively they gave us a solidness, real physical element which again i want from my teams and i want to be hard to play against.
“When the ball has come into the box at times this season we haven’t seen danger out enough and we’ve conceded too many soft goals. That is something that i’ve looked at.
“Massive credit to those boys, they’ve both been out, and from a playing perspective it is not easy when you haven’t played for the amount of time that they haven’t played.
“To come in and hit the levels that they both did was fantastic. They’ll both get better.
“They’ve both been a credit to themselves with how they’ve handled themselves and how professional they have been when they haven’t been in the team.”
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