Although he was adamant after the win over Reading on Tuesday that Ismaila Sarr would play at Bristol City tomorrow, head coach Slaven Bilic admitted this morning he has been mulling the situation over in his mind.

The forward was confirmed as part of the Senegal squad today, but with major injury doubts about his teammate Sadio Mane, Sarr’s importance to his country has moved up a notch or two.

“I don’t want him to miss the World Cup, and players are definitely thinking about it,” admitted Bilic.

READ MORE: Bilic discusses Sarr on Tuesday night

“I spoke to other players who are going to the World Cup – Croatians for instance – and they are all a little bit worried about injuries.

“I have nothing but praise for Sarr though. Ismaila Sarr has played in every game since I arrived. The only time we have subbed him is when games have been done in our favour: when we were 3-0 up at Stoke, against Luton when it was 4-0, and then Reading after we scored our second goal.

“He has played every other minute and he has been unbelievable for me. He deserves big praise.

“Tomorrow we will see. He wants to play but that’s my decision and we will see tomorrow.”

One player definitely ruled out of the World Cup is Morocco’s Imran Louza. Bilic gave an update on his situation now that his surgery has been successfully carried out.

“Louza will be out for three and a half to four months,” he said.

“With the sort of surgery he’s had, that is the average. It may alter by a week either way. So we’re talking perhaps February or March.”

There are no fresh injury worries ahead of the trip to Ashton Gate, but a flu-type bug has swept through the training ground this week.

Bilic himself spent time away from London Colney and he was visibly and audibly still struggling when he spoke to the press this morning.

“We’ve had some players who were sick for a couple of days, but now they are all in good shape,” he said.

“We have one or two knocks, and some pains in muscles, but we’ll see how things are tomorrow. One or two could be missing.

“In terms of players who are coming back, nobody else will be added tomorrow. It’s the last game before the break and so we don’t want to take risks with people who have been out for a long time.

“Take Ngakia for instance. He’s been training with us for a week now and if we had games coming up and not a break, then he would probably be coming on for 10 or 15 minutes to gradually regain his form and get match fitness.

“But as it’s the last game before the break, and he’s had such a long pause to his season, we don’t want to take risks.”

Mention of Ngakia inevitably is a reminder of the issues Watford have had at right back, and in the defence generally – with a transfer window looming, Bilic says he needs to juggle making sure the players returning to fitness get their chance with making additions where required.

“We had a major injury crisis in the defence and at one point it was crazy, but you can’t blame the club for that. It happens,” he said.

“I remember Man Utd, during my playing days, lined up against Southampton with Darren Fletcher and Gary Neville at centre back. They had four centre backs out. And I remember Sir Alex saying ‘what could I do?’

“You can’t go into a season with seven centre backs. They can’t train normally, they won’t be happy, some of them sense they are sixth or seventh choice so what’s the point.

“No manager in the world wants too many players in the squad. You can’t work like that, you don’t have balance or togetherness.

“We have Ngakia and Gaspar, and normally if one of the two isn’t fit or in form, then a centre back can always play there. Plus we have Gosling.

“You can’t have four right backs because you can’t train. You’d rather have a shortage in a position for a couple of games than an unbalanced squad for a season.”

Bilic said that having been good enough to play at full-back for West Ham, Ngakia clearly has pedigree.

“I haven’t seen a lot of Ngakia since he left West Ham but I see him in training, and my whole staff think he looks good.

“If three years ago you played for David Moyes at right back, then you should be good defensively. Offensively he is 100% very good: he’s got the legs, the pace, the ideas, he’s brave, he’s young, he’s enthusiastic.

“We know what he can do in attack, and you can’t play at right back for Moyes if you are not a good defender. That’s what gives me a lot of optimism about Ngakia.

“He will have his time and he’s going to have to fight for his place because at the moment we don’t have a problem at right back. We have a sweet problem now because Mario Gaspar is a different player now.

“The way Mario played against Cardiff for the whole game, the way he comes on as sub, he looks totally different. He is enjoying it and he wants to play.

“But also we can’t miss out in January. No matter how good we look, it’s a long season and we don’t want to get in the same situation.”