Hull City midfielder Darko Gyabi is set to miss up to three months as he needs surgery on a serious groin injury.
Gyabi limped off in the early stages of Hull's FA Cup tie at home to Blackburn Rovers on Sunday.
The 21-year-old had appeared in all but one of the Tigers' Championship games since his arrival in September.
"Now we need good recovery," head coach Sergej Jakirovic told BBC Radio Humberside.
"Darko is a young lad and I hope everything will be fine after the surgery."
Tigers defender Cody Drameh, who had been linked with a January move to Stoke, also faces a spell on the sidelines as a quad injury is set to rule the 24-year-old out for six weeks.