Nottingham Forest must cope without Scott McKenna in their bid for Premier League survival after he was ruled out of their final six games of the season.
Scotland centre-back McKenna fractured his collarbone in Saturday’s 3-2 defeat at Liverpool.
The 26-year-old had only recently returned from a hamstring injury.
“It’s a blow, and a real blow for him. He’s a great professional who always gives his best in everything he does,” said Forest head coach Steve Cooper.
“So for him to suffer the bad luck that he has with this injury is really unfortunate.”
Forest are second bottom of the Premier League, a point from safety, but without a win in 11 matches.
McKenna, who joined Forest from Aberdeen in 2020, was a key part of their promotion-winning side from the Championship last year.
After missing two months with the hamstring problem, he returned to Forest’s starting line-up in the 2-0 home defeat against Manchester United on 16 April but was substituted after half an hour of the following game at Liverpool.
He joins a lengthy injury list, as Cooper’s side look to end a four-match losing streak when they host Brighton on Wednesday.
However, Cooper said Senegal midfielder Cheikhou Kouyate and Ivory Coast right-back Serge Aurier are “not far off” returning to full training.
