Michael Brown's sickening tackle on Reds skipper Jacob Butterfield has ruled the 21-year-old out for the rest of the season.
Butterfield was replaced by Ricardo Vaz Te, who scored a hat-trick in the 4-1 victory on New Year's Eve against Leeds, but the result has come at a cost with news of Butterfield's injury.
It was initially thought that he would be out for around three weeks but an MRI scan has revealed damage to the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee which will require surgery.
It was widely thought that Butterfield would leave the club in January, with several interested parties after his fine first half of the campaign, in which he has netted 5 goals.