Cardiff City captain Sean Morrison's season is over and Alfie Doughty could be out for six weeks after the injuries they sustained at Barnsley, WalesOnline has been told.
Bluebirds skipper Morrison was helped off the pitch just minutes into the game on Wednesday, while Doughty was the victim of an utter horror challenge from Tykes skipper Mads Andersen in the second half.
Cardiff manager Steve Morison said he was not hopeful about the outcome of the scans and his worst fears have been realised.
It can be revealed that Morrison has ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), which typically has a return-to-play prognosis of around nine months.
It brings back horrible memories of Joe Bennett almost a year ago, when his Cardiff career was ended by an ACL injury he sustained against Derby County.
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Given Morrison's contract is up at the end of the season, unless he signs a new deal he could have played his final game in a Bluebirds shirt.
For Doughty, who has been at the club less than a week following his deadline-day loan move from Stoke City, the verdict is better, which is a minor miracle given the photo of the challenge which emerged after the match
The left wing-back had looked bright in his two outings against Nottingham Forest and Barnsley, before Andersen's reckless challenge has sidelined him for what we are told is between four and six weeks.
"That was an awful tackle (on Doughty) and now we could have lost two very important players, so that's really, really frustrating," Morison said after the Barnsley match.
"That's why there was so much passion at the end, because that was a really naughty tackle."
Doughty was signed as wing-back cover after Cardiff were left in the dark over whether Ryan Giles would be permitted to return from Wolves.
It likely means Joel Bagan will now have to take that wing-back berth for the time being, with Perry Ng now probably having to fill the void left by Morrison in the heart of defence.
Hopefully for the 22-year-old, though, he can still play a big part in the back end of the campaign.
The news will be a body blow for Morrison, who has suffered a number injuries and setbacks this season. But just when Cardiff need their captain to front up for the relegation fight, his season has been curtailed.
Whether Morrison is afforded the opportunity to play again for Cardiff remains up in the air.
As things stand no fewer than 10 senior Cardiff players see their contracts expire in June, Morrison among them.
There are swathes of Bluebirds fans who no doubt will want to see the skipper offered a new deal, given his years of stellar service to the club and the abundance of experienced heads which are set for the exit door this summer.
Manager Morison on Thursday spoke about contracts and revealed talks are set to get underway in the coming weeks.
"I presume they will," he replied when asked if there was likely to be movement on any new deals over the coming weeks.
"One of the great things about the players out of contract is that because of the situation we’ve been in, and the situation we’re still in, no one’s bothered me with it.
"There’s been a couple of small conversations, but it’s difficult because I haven’t got a contract either.
"So for me to make a decision is tough. I could make a decision and then I leave, and someone comes in and says 'by the way, I would have kept him'.
"So it’s tough, but they’ve all totally understood that no one can really be sitting there, knocking on the door asking for a contract when we're three points off the bottom three, because no one’s covered themselves in glory."
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