Derry City have been hit with a considerable blow with the news that influential midfielder Ciaron Harkin has suffered a cruciate knee ligament injury.
Harkin was injured in a collision with a Shamrock Rovers player during last Friday's 2-1 win at the Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium.
Harkin was unable to have the injury scanned after the game due to swelling of his knee.
There were hopes that it was not as bad as first feared but confirmation has now come that it is a long-term issue.
Harkin has been a near ever-present under manager Ruaidhri Higgins and was very impressive during the win over the Hoops.
He is likely to miss the vast majority, if not all of the remainder of the SSE Airtricity Premier Division season, having played just 167 minutes of action.
Higgins said: "We're all gutted for him but we know the type of person he is and we know his character. I have no doubt that he will come back from this a stronger person.
"We need to see the values that he brings to the team remain within it. He may not be able to have the impact on the pitch that he would have wanted, but he is an integral part of our dressing room and will remain so throughout the season.
"Everyone at the club holds Jackie [Harkin’s nickname] in very high regard. He will get the best of help from our excellent medical team throughout his recovery.
"We will assist him in every way possible to get him back doing what he does best as soon as possible."
The midfielder tweeted: "It has been a very tough and weird few days. After getting my results today the outcome wasn’t what I wanted to hear but these things happen.
"I am ready for what’s next and what’s needed to recover best and as quickly as possible."
City have made a strong start to the league campaign in which they are expected to challenge for the top three positions and possibly for the title. The news of Harkin’s injury has hit those hopes.
The Candystripes face Shelbourne in Tolka Park on Friday.
We need your consent to load this rte-player contentWe use rte-player to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences
Listen to the RTÉ Soccer podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
