Ian Holloway said that he has been hugely impressed by Aaron Drinan as the manager discussed what could happen with his contract following his injury.
Drinan had been on an impressive run of form and was a big factor in helping to turn Swindon’s form around in the last few months.
Although after scoring and assisting in his last two games, the Irish forward sustained a tear in his Posterior Cruciate Ligament which will see him out for the remainder of the current campaign.
Holloway had initially said ahead of the Harrogate Town match that one specialist had said he could need surgery and be facing a very long time out of action but a second had revealed that there was no tear, although the injury was still severe enough to end his season three months early.
The 26-year-old is one of 13 senior players known to be out of contract at Swindon this summer, along with Jack Bycroft, Connor Ripley, Grant Hall, George Cox, Pharrell Johnson, Tariq Uwakwe, Nnamdi Ofoborh, Jake Cain, Saidou Khan, Anton Dworzak, Sean McGurk, and Paul Glatzel.
With his season already over and having no chance to state a further case for an extension, Holloway was asked how this might impact how the club looked at him.
He said: “We will handle it in the way that any club handles it with a player who is out of contract who has been doing very well up to that point.
“Providing that the injury is not something which is going to hamper his future and his ability to get out on the grass and play.
“We know that his injury won’t cause him to be maimed in any way and he has certainly impressed me since I have been here.
“It is absolutely vital in the way that I want to play in the long term to have someone who breaks the lines and goes in behind.
“Aaron will be missed because we haven’t got anyone else like him in my opinion, and in a funny way, that is good for him. Isn’t it, with his contract being up?
“I am sure that is good for him and I am sure that he likes what he is hearing here.”
Holloway has said that the role that Drinan offers within his team is hugely important and lacking such a figure in the short term is a problem to be figured out.
He said: “I have just got to find a way. He naturally runs in behind people and he is so good at doing it with how quick and strong he is.
“We probably haven’t got that in anyone else apart from Botan [Ameen] who can face you up with the ball at his feet, wiggle, and get past you.
“We haven’t got anyone else who runs away, everyone else runs it to feet, so we will have to look at that and practice things like we have this week.
“Practising the space to go into and the times you need to do it – but it is easier when someone does it naturally.”
