Tom Eaves could miss out on a return to Priestfield this coming weekend.

The popular striker, now 28, left the Gills for Hull City last summer but was part of a team that suffered relegation from the Championship.

Hull City make the trip to Priestfield on the opening weekend of the League 1 season but Eaves looks set to be sidelined after picking up an ankle injury on Saturday.

Eaves - who scored 38 league goals in 69 starts for the Gills over two seasons - was substituted after half an hour of their Carabao Cup game against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light, which they went onto win on penalties.

He travelled home with a protective boot and will be assessed for ligament damage. He suffered an ankle injury last season and would have missed more games had it not been for the Covid-19 mid-season interruption.

Another former Gillingham player, Alfie Jones, could also be involved. He was with the Gills on loan last season and has just signed form the Tigers on a permanent deal from Southampton.

Jones was an unused sub at the weekend.

Gills boss Steve Evans said: “Grant rang me about his character and his professionalism. He is one of the best young players you could ever wish to work for with how he has conducted himself.”

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