SOUTHEND United defender John White insists a six week lay-off was the best he could have hoped for after injuring his ankle against Peterborough United.

White has been ruled out until late March after scan results showed ligament damage.

But, despite being disappointed by the news, White also feared he was set for a far longer spell on the sidelines.

“It’s obviously disappointing to have got the injury but I think a six week lay-off is the best I could have hoped for really,” said the Shrimpers centre-back.

“When these type of things happen I’ve found it’s best to stay cautious and then if you get bad news it’s not completely devastating, “You try not to think about it but obviously that’s quite hard.”

White picked up the problem when attempting to make a sliding challenge on Posh striker Jack Marriott at the start of the second half.

And White - who had to be stretchered off at London Road following a lengthy spell of treatment - had not ruled out the possibility of suffering a break.

“I couldn’t remember hearing a crack but I couldn’t rule it out completely,” said the 31-year-old.

“I went in to make a sliding challenge and my studs got caught in the ground, which forced my ankle to roll over.

“I’m not too sure if I made contact with the ball or the player as everything happened quite quickly.

“But it was a bit of a worry that there could have been a break and we couldn’t 100 per cent rule it out, so I’m happy that wasn’t the case.”

However, White still remains frustrated to be missing any games at all.

“It’s disappointing because things had been going well and we’ve won the first two games under the new manager, so it’s a bad time to be coming out of the team,” said White.

“But we have a time-frame to work towards now and if I can get back before then it would obviously be a bonus.

“We’ll be doing all we can and we’ll be doing everything correctly along the way too.

“But I’m not going to be dwelling on what’s happened.

“It’s not the first time something like this has happened and I’m sure it won’t be the last either.”

White - who has moved into a more central defensive role this season having previously played at full-back - has started both matches since Chris Powell took control of the club.

White has made 27 appearances so far this season.