Nigel Pearson revealed Tomas Kalas has been playing through the pain barrier for two seasons and won't rush him back into action, even after the international break.
The centre-back has missed the last two matches with a groin issue with the City manager previously laying blame to the amount of football he has played both for club and country in the last couple of years.
Kalas, 28, was initially a doubt to face Blackburn last weekend before Czech Republic opted not to call him up for their international fixtures next week - suggesting his injury is more serious than first reported.
The Bristol City manager provided more detail into Kalas' issues on Thursday, admitting he may even require another two or three weeks to fully recover while refusing to rush him back.
Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Pearson said: "He needs time to recover basically. It's an overuse injury essentially.
"When you're dealing with international players who have played continually for two or three years without a significant break, psychologically it can be a big hurdle to get over but when you're a physical player like Tomas, the wear and tear certainly comes into play.
"To be fair he's played through quite a lot of pain and discomfort for a while and it was the same last season. Every player gets to a saturation point, and it's good to give him the opportunity to recover.
"We're not exactly overflowing with options but I still think with him and his overall wellbeing, he deserves the chance to fully recover from this situation.
"Hopefully, he'll be ready to return after the international break but if he needs another week or so then he needs another week or so. I won't risk something that needs time to heal."
After joining permanently in 2019, Kalas suffered a hamstring injury and then knee tendinitis limiting him to 23 Championship appearances. Since then, he played 40 times in the league in the following campaign and another 35 matches this time around.
Pearson also went into more depth on Joe Williams' hamstring injury that forced him off against Barnsley in the week.
There were initial fears that the midfielder suffered the same issue as he did in November that ruled him out for just over two months. A similar problem would have sidelined him for the season but the manager signalled his relief that the latest setback will see him miss the next two to three weeks of action.
Having suffered his third hamstring injury this year, Pearson admitted they will have to be even more cautious in his game time until the end of the season including leaving him out of the squad for midweek matches.
He said: "It's not the tendon, so it's part of the hamstring. It's a bit of a relief that it's not going to be something that potentially finishes his season.
"I would suggest that between now and the end of the season when he's back he won't play midweek games so he'll be up for consideration from week-to-week but not in midweek squads. "You've heard that from me now. Whether that transpires to be the case, but that is something that will minimalise the risks further."
City only have two midweek matches before the end of the season, coming on a Friday afternoon against Stoke on April 15 followed by a home match against Sheffield United on the following Monday.
Pearson will welcome back Alex Scott to face West Bromwich on Saturday while also confirming Antoine Semenyo is fit after hobbling off with cramp in the week.
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