SCOTLAND head coach Vern Cotter has revealed he has major injury worries ahead of the Rugby World Cup in September.

Saracens centre Duncan Taylor is a major doubt for the tournament with a shoulder injury, while Glasgow Warriors lock Tim Swinson is also a concern because of ankle damage.

Glasgow centre Alex Dunbar will travel to the USA next week to continue his recovery from ruptured knee ligaments, and he and his fellow-centres Matt Scott and Mark Bennett remain on course to be available for the tournament.

Sean Maitland, the wing or full-back, is also making his comeback as scheduled, but Cotter revealed that, just as those worries are beginning to clear up, so others have emerged.

“The injury we are most concerned about at the moment is Duncan Taylor, whose shoulder is not showing positive signs of improvement over the last couple of weeks,” the Scotland head coach said here as the squad continued their week of preparations in the Pyrenees.

“He'll get looked at medically and so will Tim Swinson, who hasn't recovered from his ankle problem.

“The long-term injuries, like Matt Scott and Mark Bennett, are coming on well. And Sean Maitland we had a look at before we left and he looked good.

“As far as progress goes, [Dunbar] is moving forward very well. Everybody is optimistic. I'm not saying it's done: we're very cautious.”

The squad will move from Font Romeu to Perpignan today for their last two days in France before returning to BT Murrayfield. Once back in Edinburgh, Cotter expects some of the current absentees to join up with the group.

“I think next week when we get back Matt Scott and Mark Bennett will join us. They won't be doing the full content, but they will be doing part of it. Hopefully Sean Maitland. Alex will be a little bit further down the road, with Duncan Taylor now a further complication.”

Dunbar, who had surgery on his knee damage back in March, will travel on Monday to Philadelphia for a three-week camp with Bill Knowles, the renowned rehabilitation specialist whose previous clients include Tiger Woods, Johnny Wilkinson and Frank Lampard. He is then expected to rejoin the national squad for further assessment and the next phase of his rehabilitation.

“We're pleased to say that Alex remains on schedule at this stage and that, 14

weeks down the line, he is now in the right place for this trip to the States,” said Paul McGinley of the SRU’s medical department. “Evidence suggests that the earliest you could expect somebody to safely recover from ACL reconstruction is around six months, and that is tight; but that's the timescale to which we're working if he is to feature in the Rugby World Cup.”

Injury worries aside, Cotter has been pleased by how the week has gone here. He wanted to stretch the squad both mentally and physically, and he has been pleased by the way in which they have responded.

“This is where the character kicks in and people have to stick in and look at their improvements,” he added.

“The altitude makes it hard – even for us [coaching staff] walking up and down the stairs. But I've really enjoyed it and been very pleased with the way the players have taken to their tasks. They've all chipped in and rolled their sleeves up.”