ZACH Clough has been ruled out of action for the majority of the transfer window – but Neil Lennon insists there is NO conspiracy theory at work.

The young striker has been out of commission since making a substitute appearance in the 3-2 defeat at Sheffield Wednesday, prompting heavy speculation about his future.

Clough had already turned down a £2million move to Bristol City but has been tracked by the likes of Everton and Watford and would undoubtedly find a Premier League move more appetising.

Lennon has dampened the rumours – claiming there has been no contact from any other club – and expects to have the academy graduate back up and running in just over a week.

“He should be fit in seven to 10 days,” he told The Bolton News. “I’d like to think it would be before the end of the window.

“I’m not under pressure not to play him, it’s just an injury.

“He’s got a hip problem, he's had a scan and we were told two-to-three weeks and he's halfway into that. He shouldn't be far away.”

The injury that forced Gary Madine from the field in midweek against Eastleigh has been a source of equal mystery among supporters.

After watching his striker walk off the field on Tuesday night, Lennon is now unsure whether he will be available for today’s game.

“He had a scan and the scan came up clear,” the manager said. “We're hoping that with a couple of days rest he should be okay for tomorrow. He was struggling with it before the game and he was feeling it.

“I think he went on a particular run, felt it tighten up and then felt he couldn't go on. He was a doubt before the game and we pushed him through that one.

“With the scan coming through all clear, we'll see what his state of mind is but hopefully he'll be fit.”

Shola Ameobi is most likely to step forward and play the final hours of his Whites contract as a target man against the Dons.

Lennon regrets having to let the 34-year-old go in January, three months after bringing him to the Macron as cover, but says fitness issues mean we have not yet seen the best of the former Newcastle United man.

“It has been a bit stop-start for him with injuries but his contribution was good on Tuesday. We need more of that if he starts,” he said.

“It isn’t an ideal situation and I don’t know whether he will have fond memories or not of his time here.

“He has been good to have around the dressing room but it has been curtailed by niggles that have meant has hasn’t been able to figure consistently.”

Lennon is hoping there will be some residual confidence from Tuesday night’s win against Eastleigh but knows from experience that his team’s inconsistency makes it difficult to predict what he will get against the Dons.

“We played really well at Sheffield Wednesday and didn't get anything out of it, shot ourselves in the foot at Forest, so you don't know what you're going to get some days,” he said.

“We're at home, it's a game that's winnable. We'll have to see who's going to be back, if anyone's going to be back in terms of striking options and then we'll sit down and discuss the team and have the boys really motivated.

“Sometimes you go with the same team, so your team selection is consistent, but there's an inconsistency with the players at times.

“I don't want to use it as an excuse but with all the stuff that's being going on in the background it's probably not been a great help with the players as well.”

Wanderers could potentially be cast 10 points adrift of safety if they lose and Rotherham United also pick up a win at Cardiff City.

Lennon admits his side’s prospects do not bear thinking about if they fail to take something from the game.

“If we lose it we're facing a mountain to climb but if we win it, then we've closed the gap right down again to four points which is not insurmountable at all,” he said. “It's important that we try to gain some sort of momentum from a footballing point of view and put some consistent performances together.”