Max Llewellyn's final season at Cardiff has suffered a blow after the young centre was ruled out for three months with an ankle injury.
Cardiff have confirmed that the 23-year-old will depart the Arms Park at the end of the current campaign to join an English club, with Gloucester his expected destination, as Welsh rugby struggles with the current contract freeze. However, an ankle injury picked up in the Challenge Cup victory over Newcastle on Saturday now means that Llewellyn will miss a large chunk of his time remaining in the Welsh capital.
"We were a little bit surprised how serious his ankle injury was," said Cardiff boss Dai Young. "He'll need an operation on that ankle injury.
"He'll be out for 10 to 12 weeks. That's obviously a big blow."
"James Ratti limped off with a knee injury and he'll be out for two or three weeks. He took a collision on the knee. Thankfully it's nothing structural but it'll take a couple of weeks for that to settle down."
The loss of Llewellyn, who has shone for Cardiff this season, leaves them particularly light in midfield - with Wales centre Willis Halaholo currently out injured.
As such, Young will now need to tinker with his side ahead of the Boxing Day derby against the Dragons.
"Ben Thomas is the obvious candidate," said Young. "He's played there a lot for us. Rey (Lee-Lo) is more than comfortable there.
"We've got Mason and Harri Millard who can play 13. Owen Lane and Josh Adams can play there as well. The cupboard isn't bare, but it's two huge losses in Max and Willis.
"Willis won't be back until the back-end of the Six Nations. We won't see him in the short-term."
The news of Llewellyn's injury is all the more disappointing given that his time at the Arms Park is now limited. Cardiff captain Josh Turnbull warned this week that more would likely follow Llewellyn's lead in putting his future first at a time when contracts haven't been on the table.
However, for Young, simply losing a player who they'd invested time in to turn into a starter is a big blow.
"He has (showed up well)," he added. "I thought we'd brought him on really well to be honest.
"We dripped him in, haven't overexposed him and allowed him to develop at his own pace. Right from the start of this season, he's looked really comfortable.
"He's been an ever-present for most of the season. We know he's a big guy so he's got a power game, but he's got good hands so he can distribute and defensively he's strong.
"We're gutted for him and gutted for ourselves, really. He's been a big part of some of our bigger performances."
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