CARLTON captain Marc Murphy is set to miss the next four matches after injuring himself in the warm-up against North Melbourne on Saturday night.

Murphy was forced to withdraw from the game, with scans today revealing the full extent of the damage to his left foot.

"Scans have revealed he's done some damage to his plantar fascia, which is the material that runs along the bottom of the foot," McKay said.

"The doctors are saying he'll be out for the next four weeks, which is really unfortunate for us and Marc, but it gives someone else an opportunity to fill that spot."

After periods on the sidelines, injured pair Darcy Lang (ankle) and Alex Silvagni (hamstring) are poised to return but won't feature at any level this weekend given a bye in the VFL for the Northern Blues.

“Darcy Lang’s made some real progress over the last few weeks. He’s available for selection although he’s been out of football for quite some time, so he won’t be available for senior selection,” McKay said.

“Silvagni’s progressed really well over the last couple of weeks. He’ll probably sit out for another week, which won’t do any harm, and then be available for selection next week.”

Developing defenders Tom Williamson and Caleb Marchbank are also nearing returns, recovering well from back and ankle injuries respectively.

“Tom Williamson’s back is moving quite well. It’s still a little bit stiff but certainly improving week to week. He’s still got another three weeks I imagine until he’ll be available for selection,” McKay said.

“Caleb Marchbank obviously rolled his ankle a couple of weeks ago. That’s pressing along quite well, he’s back running now which is great but still probably three weeks away.”

Fellow Irish defenders Ciaran Byrne and Cillian McDaid are recovering from medium-term injuries, the Blues looking forward to them returning to full fitness in the coming month.

“Ciaran Byrne strained a quadricep muscle a couple of weeks ago,” McKay said.

“He’s started running again but it’s going to be another three weeks until he’s available for selection.”

“On Cillian McDaid, the foot’s still progressing and certainly feels OK. We just have to monitor that and see how it goes over the next few weeks. He’s probably still another four weeks away.”

Port Adelaide recruit Matthew Lobbe will look to end a frustrating start to his Carlton career over the next fortnight according to McKay, returning to fitness following a hamstring injury suffered in the VFL.

“He’s started running and he’ll start training next week, then available for selection the week after.”

Jarrod Pickett’s fractured scaphoid is healing gradually, with his current recovery timeframe of nine weeks in line with club expectations.

“Jarrod Pickett obviously has a fractured scaphoid in his wrist. He’s doing everything right but it's going to be a long haul for him,” McKay said.

Finally, in exciting news for Blues fans, star defender Sam Docherty is back running after suffering an ACL injury during pre-season.

“He’s progressing well but he’s still some time away,” McKay said.

INJURY LIST PRE-ROUND 5:

Lang (ankle) - Available

A.Silvagni (hamstring) - Test

Murphy (plantar fascia) - 4 weeks

Byrne (quad) - 3 weeks

Marchbank (ankle) - 3 weeks

Lobbe (hamstring) - 3 weeks

Williamson (back) - 3 weeks

McDaid (foot) - 4-5 weeks

Pickett (scaphoid) - 9 weeks

Sam Docherty (knee) - Season