BURNLEY boss Eddie Howe says he may look for a loan signing to provide cover for Keith Treacy if the Irish winger continues to be ruled out with a hamstring injury.

Treacy missed Saturday’s 1-1 draw against Southampton after feeling his hamstring tighten at training on Friday and his injury will now be assessed ahead of tomorrow’s home game against Nottingham Forest.

Howe, though, says he may need to move back into the loan market – even though he has admitted this is far from the ideal time of year to make temporary signings.

The Clarets manager has already suffered frustration in his attempts to bring in Stoke defender Ryan Shotton.

“Keith just felt his hamstring was tight following training on Friday so we didn’t want to take any risks,” said Howe.

“It highlighted our lack of depth, which is a huge concern.

"There were no pros left over so we’re thin on the ground.

“We’ll have to see how serious the injury is and see what our options are.

“We might have to look at loans again now.

“We’re monitoring the transfer market every single day, I can assure everybody of that.

“But it is just a nightmare time to bring players in and find the right ones that are available.

“A lot of the top clubs are keeping their players with the Europa League and the Carling Cup, so we’ve found it incredibly frustrating.”

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