On-loan Oxford United midfielder George Thorne has been ruled out until January following his injury during the Carabao Cup win over West Ham United.
The Derby County man is only at Oxford until the new year, so it’s unlikely he’ll feature again for the U’s.
The 26-year-old has rarely featured for Karl Robinson’s side this season, playing just two minutes in the league and brief parts in the cup victories over Millwall and the Hammers.
After dislocating his shoulder in the win over West Ham, Thorne had an MRI scan which showed up ligament damage, requiring an operation to correct.
Thorne will stay with the club for treatment, but Robinson admitted it’s a major blow for both the club and the player, who was aiming to establish some regular football after an injury-hit career.
The head coach told the Oxford Mail: “It will be hard now to see what we do moving forward.
“He’s a great man and a fantastic footballer. It’s not great and we send him our wishes. We hope he’s OK.
“Hopefully the operation will be sooner rather than later. We’ll give him the best medical attention possible to try to get him back to that level. He’s gutted because he loves the team.”
And with the injury, Robinson has lost two central midfielders after Jamie Hanson was ruled out for up to three months.
As a result, the U’s boss may need to explore the free-agent market in order to find additional cover.
