Cardiff City defender Jamilu Collins is out for the season in a devastating blow to the Bluebirds.
The sight of Collins hobbling off the pitch on Wednesday night was difficult for Bluebirds fans to stomach. The Nigeria international attempted to dismiss Darnell Furlong inside the first three minutes and, in doing so, saw his studs get caught in the turf and his knee twist in an ugly, jerking fashion.
And Steve Morison has confirmed the club's worst fears, that Collins has ruptured his ACL and will require surgery - an injury which will keep the first-choice left-back out for the rest of the campaign.
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"We won’t see him again until next season," Morison said of the Nigeria international. "It's gutting for the lad. Really gutting. We are all here for him. We are going to make the next year the best it can possibly be for him.
"It’s the worst-case scenario. We will try and get him back for pre-season next year. One thing we do know is we will have one hell of a left-back next season."
He added: "On a plus-point for him, his family has just moved over and he has his family with him now. The lads will get behind him, he will be around. I’m sure you’ll see his smiling face around the place. We have something else to fight for now.
"He is a great kid, he comes in with a smile on his face every day. He loved working every day with us and we loved working with him. He is someone you want around. He is infectious. As soon as he has his operation and he’s a bit more mobile he will be around the lads."
The manager on Wednesday branded Collins the best left-back in the league and, on his performances so far, there is certainly merit in that. Now, though, Cardiff will have to rely on Collins' deputy, Joel Bagan, for the Severnside derby clash with Bristol City on Sunday afternoon.
"There is a big possibility that Joel might fill in at left-back!" Morison said. "JC [Collins] has been outstanding. He has to be ready and step up in a huge game on Sunday.
"I think it’s wrong for us to sit here and say we were going to rely on Joel for the whole season. JC was an unknown quantity in the Championship, but we knew it would be good to see them go toe to toe with each other.
"We have had to wait, but on the plus side he played for the u21s on Tuesday. We know he is a good player and he is ready and raring to go."
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