Jonson Clarke-Harris sat out an open training session as Graham Coughlan put his Bristol Rovers players through their paces during the club's annual open day.
The Gas' star striker looks set to miss the start of the season as a result of an unspecified injury.
Coughlan had hoped to have his main front man back in training by this weekend. On Wednesday, he said: "Jonson Clarke-Harris has had a good week, he is working his socks off. He is trim, he has trimmed down, he is looking mean and menacing.
"I am hoping probably around Saturday or Sunday we will get him on the grass training and fingers crossed he is available for selection pretty soon."
However he was absent as his teammates took the grass in front of their fans on Sunday morning.
All he could muster was a quick kickabout with Kyle Bennett as the rest of the squad wrapped things up.
His signing proved to be a masterstroke last season, with the big forward notching 11 goals for the club to lift the Pirates out of the relegation zone and up to 15th in League One.
However he has yet to feature in pre-season after undergoing key hole surgery on an undisclosed injury.
The Gas spearhead faces a race against time to be fit for the League One curtain-raiser against Blackpool in six days' time, but the likelihood is that he will be out of action.
However, Gasheads have reason to be cheerful with JCH seemingly given the vacant no.9 shirt for the new campaign. A sign he is definitely staying, perhaps.
