YORK CITY boss Russ Wilcox is unable to put a definite time frame on Luke Summerfield's return to action.

The midfielder was forced off in the first half of the Minstermen's 1-0 loss at Notts County at the end of last month after suffering a concussion and Wilcox revealed he is unlikely to be back in his plans any time soon.

The 27-year-old put a message on Instagram saying he was "gutted not to be able to play for a few months" and the Minstermen boss said the player's health was of paramount importance.

"To be honest, he is not in a great way - in football terms," Wilcox explained. "He is okay in himself but he took a nasty whack and we have to remember that concussion is a brain injury. We have to be really careful with rehabilitation regarding Luke and we have to make sure our first port of call is his health.

"Football, at the moment, has to take a back seat and to put a time frame on it is very difficult. I think he has tweeted or put something on Instagram saying that it might be a couple of months. We are monitoring the situation daily but I would say he is not going to be back in the next few weeks.

"It could be a month, it could be two."

Wilcox added: "Every concussion is different and everyone reacts differently. The severity of each is different as well. He has obviously had a really nasty one. I thought he was playing his best football since I have been at the football club and he was a key man of the early part of the season.

"I feel for him more than anyone. We have been reactive. We have brought in Michael Collins, who is a very similar ball playing midfielder. But Luke is still a massive loss for us. He has been excellent this season."

Wilcox, meanwhile, watched a reserve City outfit containing a number of first team squad members lose 6-2 to Middlesbrough reserves in the Development League Cup at the Wigginton Road training ground.

Bradley Fewster scored a hat-trick as the Championship outfit took command.

Three goals in nine first half minutes gave them a 3-0 advantage at the break. Jordan Jones fired home in the 13th minute and Boro doubled their lead two minutes later when Callum Johnson lobbed Michael Ingham.

Fewster netted the third with a close range effort but City pulled a goal back after the break when Rhys Turner's effort, initially ruled out by the assistant referee's offside flag, was allowed to stand.

York got back into the game on 62 minutes when Emile Sinclair produced a smart finish to find the bottom corner of the net.

But the Minstermen's hopes were effectively extinguished when, with about 20 minutes remaining, Fewster grabbed his second with a shot across Ingham.

The hat-trick came after 71 minutes with a simple finish and Boro completed the scoring 13 minutes from time through Brad Halliday.

The former Minstermen loanee, last year's young player of the year at Bootham Crescent, made it six with a close range header from a corner.

Wilcox said: "I thought Middlesbrough were excellent. They made it very difficult for us and Fewster got a hat-trick. I was disappointed with our first 25 minutes. It was 3-0 at half-time and we had a bit of a chat and changed a few things.

"It looked like we were going to get something out of the game but we gave away a couple of cheap goals. There are positives to takes. Rhys Turner and Emile Sinclair got goals and it gave me and my staff a chance to look at some of the Middlesbrough lads.

"Last season we brought Brad Halliday into the club and these are good contacts to have."