Blackpool striker Billy Clarke looks set to miss the whole of the coming Premier League season, reports the Blackpool Gazette. The 22-year-old was injured only two minutes into Pool's first pre-season friendly against Tiverton Town.
It was initially thought he would miss around three months of the campaign with a tear in his anterior cruciate but the problem is now worse than first feared.
The Irishman underwent surgery on Saturday afternoon for a ruptured cruciate and is now unlikely to return to training until April at the earliest.
"It might be the whole season now," boss Ian Holloway revealed.
"He was looking so sharp in training and had done so much in the summer to try and get over the knocks he had last year.
"We're all gutted for him, absolutely gutted for him."
