Motherwell's Scottish Premiership fixture at home to Aberdeen this weekend could be in doubt due to a virus sweeping through Mark McGhee's squad.

The manager only had six of his regular first-team players training on Thursday, due to a combination of illness and injury across the senior and Under-20 squads.

McGhee says if three or four more go down they might have to go to the SPFL and appeal for a postponement. The Lanarkshire side would have to make a exceptional application to the league's board for the match to be called off.

The Steelmen boss only has two goalkeepers and 13 outfield players to choose from, including two teenagers who have never featured for the senior side.

Joe Chalmers, who hasn't played in almost two months due to injury, is one of the first-team players available. Stephen Pearson is already ruled out with a punctured lung and broken ribs with Louis Laing is still missing with a groin injury. Keith Lasley is also a major doubt with a dead leg.

Motherwell's Under-20 match against Celtic was postponed on Wednesday because of the bug ruling out the majority of Stephen Craigan's team.

"We had to shut down the club yesterday," McGhee said. "We had the entire under-20s wiped out by a virus, we had six of the first-team squad showing symptoms."

"At the moment our count seems to be about 15 which includes two or three of the young boys who have never been involved at first-team level. So it's looking pretty grim at the moment with Lasley, Pearson and Louis Laing all injured.

"Of the team who have been starting of late, we have probably got about six training this morning. If we turn up tomorrow with another three or four missing then we would be considering seriously whether the game can go ahead.

"But if I have nine or 10 of the ones that have been playing every week, then I will be quite content to go into the game. I don't want to go in with six though."

"If we had another three or four showing these symptoms and unable to train, then it would leave me with no choice.

"I mean, I might only have nine players including the entire under-20s. I can't go into a football match with eight or nine players."