Blackburn Rovers could be without Republic of Ireland winger Damien Duff for up to six weeks after the 23-year-old suffered a recurrence of his recent hamstring problems in the League Cup semi-final loss to Manchester United last night.
Duff limped off at Ewood Park after just 34 minutes and was immediately missed as United quickly gained the upper hand, coming from 0-1 behind to run out comfortable 3-1 winners.
It's a major blow for the Dubliner who had only recently returned to first team action after recovering from a similar hamstring problem sustained in December.
Blackburn manager Graeme Souness believes the loss of Duff could ultimately cost his side a top-six Premiership place, thereby missing out on the chance to play in Europe next season.
"We are not good enough to finish in the top six," admitted the Scot. "If we were to keep everyone fit, our best 11 might have a chance, but that is not going to happen.
"We have lost Damien for a few weeks and we will miss him, as we did before. It is a big blow to us and we do not have the kind of squad that can keep pushing towards the top."
Rovers' medical staff will further assess the extent of Duff's injury this evening.