Liam Manning has confirmed Cam Pring will be out for "weeks" with the Bristol City boss admitting the left-back's injury doesn't appear to be a "short-term" issue.

Pring missed the Robins' 1-0 win over Derby County at Ashton Gate on Saturday afternoon. The Reds secured a third consecutive home win and extended their unbeaten run to four games in all competitions, thanks to Luke McNally's third goal of the season.

The former Burnley defender found the net midway through the first half as he lost his marker in the penalty area before turning home Scott Twine's wide free-kick with a smart right-footed half-volley. Although City had chances to extend their lead further in the second half, they were forced to settle for just a single goal as Anis Mehmeti, Fally Mayulu and Ross McCrorie all missed chances to find the net.

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It wasn't a surprise to see Pring left out of the matchday squad at Ashton Gate. The defender picked up a hamstring injury in the first half of the Reds' 2-2 draw with Plymouth Argyle on New Year's Day and hobbled off down the tunnel having been replaced by Haydon Roberts. Although it is unclear just how long he will be sidelined, Manning admitted after the win over Derby, City would need to assess his issue further to understand the details of it.

"He’s going to be weeks, unfortunately, I don’t think it’s going to be a short-term one," explained the Bristol City head coach in his post-match press conference. "We need to assess him and see where he is in a few days.

"I’ll speak with Paul [Tanner] in the next couple of days when it is all settled down, and we’ll have a look at it then."

Saturday's win over Derby was the final game in a busy stretch of fixtures for the Robins over the festive period. Between Boxing Day's clash with Luton Town and this weekend's with the Rams, City played four matches in just 10 days which has truly tested the fitness of Manning's squad.

Now, the Reds have a week's break between games with their next match seeing them welcome Wolves to Ashton Gate in the FA Cup third round next Saturday. Vitor Pereira's side currently sit 17th in the Premier League, only one point outside of the relegation zone after a difficult start to the season under the management of former Bristol City midfielder Gary O'Neil at Molineux.

Although Manning admits he, his coaching staff and the players need the rest, he was quick to praise everyone involved at Ashton Gate and the Robins High Performance Centre for the work that they have put in over the last couple of weeks.

"It's such a relentless period that naturally today, everyone's flat out before you even start the game. Everybody is running on empty," said the 39-year-old. "We need the rest.

"Credit to staff, players everybody. We're privileged to do what we do but a lot of people do make sacrifices. They were in working Christmas Day so with the hours they put in, a massive thank you from me to all staff and players for what they've done in the last two weeks because it is relentless. We'll have a couple of days rest and then get ready for Wolves."

After the FA Cup clash with Wolves, the Robins have three more games to play in January with back-to-back away trips to Coventry City and Sheffield Wednesday followed by the visit of John Eustace's Blackburn Rovers at the end of the month.

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