Nottingham Forest have been dealt a huge injury blow with the news that striker Britt Assombalonga will be out for around a year following knee surgery.
Assombalonga, the Reds' leading scorer in his debut season at the City Ground with 15 goals, suffered the injury while shooting during Wednesday's 3-0 home win over Wigan in which he scored the opening goal.The 22-year-old was in visible discomfort as he writhed around on the ground before being carried from the pitch on a stretcher.
He subsequently had an operation and the Sky Bet Championship club confirmed on Friday afternoon that Assombalonga set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines while he recovers.
A statement on the club's official website said: "Britt Assombalonga has been ruled out for 12 months following knee surgery.
"The striker sustained the injury while shooting against Wigan Athletic on Wednesday night.
"Assombalonga underwent surgery recently and it is estimated it will take a year for him to fully recover."
Assombalonga joined Forest last summer from Peterborough for a club-record fee of £5.5million.