Aberdeen manager Derek McInnes has admitted he wished the transfer window opened tomorrow so he could ease injury problems.

The Dons have suffered a raft of injuries this season, with the majority hitting midfielders and summer signings.

However, McInnes said he expected the worst of the troubles to be resolved before January.

He has Craig Bryson back in training, though he may not be ready to face Motherwell on Saturday, but faces a longer wait for Funso Ojo and others to return.

"The only one that'll be out in January, as we speak, is Scott Wright," he said. "Ojo will hopefully be back middle of December. Ash Taylor hopefully back start of November.

"[Curtis] Main and Ferguson will be back after the Celtic game and hopefully Bryson and [Stephen] Gleeson will be up to speed soon.

"January is usually a window where you have to react to the situation in terms of injuries.

"I wish it was the first of January tomorrow and we could get some reinforcements in but it isn't and unfortunately that's where we are."

Lewis Ferguson is suspended after being sent off against Hibernian, adding to McInnes' problems.

"We've got to deal with the situation as best we can," he said. "Clearly midfield is an issue, which is why Ferguson getting sent off brings an added frustration for me because it's so important that he's available for us.

"We're losing a very good player through suspension and added to the injuries it's been far from helpful."

McInnes said that dealing with the situation was part and parcel of the job and the challenge now was to find a winning solution for this weekend.

"We have been doing some work on different alternatives and how we can look to play without a fully fit Craig Bryson, a fully fit Stephen Gleeson, without Lewis Ferguson, Dean has been away," he said.

"Sometimes as a manager it's easy, you have a full selection to choose from, you are winning games and there's very rarely any changes and just 'same again lads, on you go'.

"And there are other times when the injuries start to pile up, certainly in the one area of the pitch, you have to manage the situation. That's what it is being a manager sometimes, you have to deal with that.

"It's not always easy but you've got to try and find a way of still getting results and hopefully we can find a way on Saturday, against a good team who are going well."