Blues defender Leon Johnson is on the road to recovery after undergoing surgery on his knee cartilage last Friday, wwfc.com can reveal.

The 28-year-old has been out of first-team action since sustaining a hip injury in the 4-4 FA Cup draw with Brighton in November, and although he played 45 minutes of a reserve fixture earlier this month, he will now be sidelined again to recover from his latest setback which he suffered in training.

Manager Gary Waddock said: "The doctors have said it may take up to six weeks but we know Johnno's a good healer so we're hoping it might be as little as three or four.

"He's doing rehab already and we're looking forward to having him back in the squad, because we need people like him around the team.

"However, we won't rush him back because then you run the risk of making the problem worse, so we'll monitor it closely," he added.

Meanwhile, Ian Westlake is expected to be back in the fold within the next month as he recovers from an operation on his ankle, while there's better news for fellow midfielder Matt Bloomfield, who has returned to full training after treatment on a knee injury.

Keep it wwfc.com for more news ahead of Saturday's visit of high-flying Millwall, as the Blues look to complete their second double of the campaign.