Millwall manager Alex Neil has stated that Tristan Crama’s ankle injury sustained during the win against Antwerp is ‘worse than we thought’.

The defender was an important figure for the Lions as they finished third in the Championship last season, appearing in every game and putting in some outstanding performances, whether at right-back or centre-back.

However, Crama suffered an ankle injury in the play-off semi-final defeat to Hull City, delaying his return to the squad for pre-season.

However, after returning from the bench against Bromley last week, Neil gave Crama a start against Antwerp in an attempt to show his fitness ahead of Saturday’s League Cup match against QPR.

Tristan Crama’s 2025/26 Millwall Statistics (Source: Sofascore)

Appearances

Goals

Assists: 6

Distance Covered per 90

10.2km

Clean sheets.

Clearances (per 90).

5.9

Interceptions (per 90).

1.4

Balls Recovered (Per 90)

3.9

Alex Neil offers Tristan Crama’s injury report.
Unfortunately for Crama, he has suffered a new ankle injury after being kicked during the game against the Belgians.

And, speaking with NewsAtDen, as reported by Southwark News, Neil refused to say how long he expects Crama to be out, although he did confess it was not good as they continue to evaluate the 24-year-old.

“Unfortunately, the situation is worse than we expected, which is regrettable. We have yet to receive an opinion on the length of time and what is required in terms of what happens.

“But it’s annoying because it’s a contact injury and there’s nothing you can do about it. It is not soft tissue. We would glance at soft tissue and wonder if we had overexerted them. Have they done too much, too soon? Did they play too many minutes? It’s a contact injury that occurred in the 10th minute. From that perspective, it’s quite aggravating.”

Tristan Crama will be a major loss for Millwall.

Obviously, it’s difficult to predict how long Crama will be out, but reading between the lines, it’s not good news.

Everyone who has watched him play knows that he is a dedicated player, so if he is having problems with his ankle, it must be causing him significant pain.

Now it’s a case of waiting for more developments, which will almost certainly occur before the League Cup match against QPR.

In the big picture, however, The Den’s issue will be how they adapt if Crama is out from the league for an extended length of time, as he is a key player for the team.

As previously stated, he can play in two positions, and his height, physicality, and ball drive will be extremely difficult to replace. Plus, given his consistency last season, we’re not sure how Millwall will deal without one of their important players.

But these things happen in sport, so Neil and the hierarchy will not be concerned. Perhaps the only saving grace is that the transfer window is still open, so if Crama is out for an extended period of time, they will be able to bring in replacements.

That may be something they do anyway, because if Millwall is to push for automatic promotion again, they will need a larger squad in a variety of areas, as a lack of depth was arguably a factor in why they ultimately fell short, as they lacked ways to change the game against Hull in the semi-final.