Captain Jason Pearce is going to be out for a “few weeks” as Charlton’s injury list grows amid their push for promotion to the Championship.

The centre back was unavailable for the win against Walsall after being taken off with an ankle problem in the Addicks’ defeat to Barnsley last year.

It comes as he joins George Lapslie, Jake Forster-Caskey, Josh Cullen, Lewis Page and Igor Vetokele on the injury table – potentially alongside Ben Reeves.

Lee Bowyer is not certain on the extent of the problem but is certain Pearce will be unavailable to play against Sunderland this weekend (January 5).

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“It’s going to be a few weeks,” he said.

“I don’t know the extent of it. He’s in that boot at the moment, that’s never a good sign. He’s struggling.

“We don’t get just like a knock and you miss one game. We get four, six, eight, 10 weeks.

“I’m not too sure, it’s his tendons or something, it’s from a tackle. It’s going to be a little while. He’s not back for Sunderland, let’s put it that way.”

Reeves, meanwhile, was substituted during the Walsall victory which was later revealed to be because of a potential injury problem as well, coming off for Darren Pratley.

Bowyer knows the midfielder has a problem but is unaware what it is specifically at the moment.

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“Another one to add to the list, it’s just getting ridiculous now,” he added.

“Every game we seem to be losing one or two more players. It’s hard for them. Reevesy, he’s always a risk to go three games in a week, always. But when you don’t have anyone to replace him to give him that rest because you have so many injuries in that position, what do you do?

“Today all I could have done to not play Reeves was to play [Brendan] Sarpong-Wiredu. He’s nowhere near ready to play in that.

“It was a risk to play Albie [Morgan] but we couldn’t play two. Pratley had to come out because he was tired. He’s been out injured for a while so for him to play three in a week would have been criminal, so risky.

“Reeves we thought was the fitter one and with his goal on Saturday, just let him carry on. I tried to protect him as best I could but he came off at the end.”