Hull City's Republic of Ireland defender Cyrus Christie is set to miss the rest of the season.
The 30-year-old right-back is likely to need surgery on a knee injury that has kept him out for the past four games.
The former Fulham, Middlesbrough and Derby County defender has scored three goals in 28 games since moving to the Tigers in the summer.
"It's not great for us but at the same time, I want to look after him long term," said manager Liam Rosenior.
"It'll probably rule him out for the rest of the season - that's my expectation at this point - but it allows me to clear a problem for him long term, which is really important.