Linfield will be looking to add fresh faces in January following Chris Shields injury, says David Healy as Blues boss is impressed by Stephen McDonnell's start to life at Glenavon

The ex-Dundalk ace went down injured and signalled to the bench for assistance during the BetMcLean Cup quarter-final tie against Larne at Inver Park on Tuesday, December 5.

It marks a major blow in the Blues’ quest to reclaim the Gibson Cup but Healy vowed he will dip his hands in the upcoming transfer window to beef up his squad.

“’Shieldsie’ sustained an injury in the win at Larne and, after having the problem diagnosed, it wasn’t good news,” he added.

“He’ll be out for a considerable amount of time, it could be numerous weeks.

“It’s something we’ve got to deal with as a club. At Linfield, we got on with the job. I’m fortunate with the players I have, some of the younger lads have excelled.

“If Shieldsie is missing for some time, then, we’ll bring in someone else. It’s common knowledge we are light in numbers, so hopefully, we can remedy that in the January transfer window.”

The Blues went back to the summit of the Premiership last weekend as they came from 3-1 behind to beat Dungannon Swifts at Windsor Park – with Healy praising his side’s character to win the game with two late goals.

“I’m the first one to scrutinise my own performance. I know the standards, I know what this club means to so many people,” he stressed.

“At half-time last week there was frustration - nobody gets that more than I do.

“But we rallied, we showed character in the second half and we got the points.

“We are now 19 games in and we are sitting at the top of the table, not that that is any great advantage at the minute because we know there is an awful long way to go.

"This club has a great tradition in scoring late on. Any successful club and we can go back to the great Manchester United and Liverpool teams of the past, they keep going right until the end.

“The boys kept persevering, they kept probing and the kept asking questions and thankfully they got their rewards.”

Linfield make the visit to Glenavon this afternoon and Healy has impressed with the impact made by new Lurgan Blues boss Stephen McDonnell thus far.

He commented: “It was a tough job for Stephen coming to the football club, in terms of the success Gary (Hamilton) had before him.

“It took him a while to get the team to play the way he wants, the players had to buy into his way of playing.

“They won five games on the trot and they are through to the semi final of a cup competition, so obviously, he had made his mark.

“What they do have is real experienced players in their squad with real knowhow, and there are quite a few former Linfield players there as well.

“If he gets a tune out of some of those experienced players, coupled with the energy he can get from some of the younger players, they’ll be a tough team to play against.”