The Seasiders will be hoping for a boost to their options ahead of their trip to Brisbane Road to face Leyton Orient this weekend.

James Husband, Ollie Norburn, and CJ Hamilton have all been unavailable to Steve Bruce and his coaching staff in recent weeks due to injury.

Meanwhile, Rob Apter was rested for the FA Cup match against Gillingham last Saturday after the 21-year-old picked up a knock to his knee in training.

Discussing the latest injury updates, Blackpool coach Richard Keogh said: “There are a few players who are very close to returning, but Hubby and Norbs aren’t quite there yet.”

“Hopefully, we can get a few more bodies back. Some have been training pretty hard on the grass, so I’m confident they’re close to returning. If we can get them available, that would be amazing.”

“Rob (Apter) is in a much better place. He picked up a little knock, and sometimes you just have to manage it a bit, especially since he’s played a lot of football as a young player.

“He’s in a good place now, he’s been back on the grass, so we’ll continue to assess him.”

During the midweek EFL Trophy match against Liverpool U21s, Ipswich Town loanee Elkan Baggott played the first half as he made his return from the ankle injury that has kept him sidelined since August.

“That was the plan, he was always scheduled to play 45 minutes,” Keogh added.

“It was a good opportunity to get him back on the pitch and help him find his rhythm again.

“He showed some really good moments, it was great to see him back; he’s worked really hard.

“I’m sure he’ll contribute

in the coming weeks.”