Cheltenham Town can confirm that Jordan Crantston will miss the rest of the season after suffering a serious hamstring injury in the recent home league game with Luton Town.
The defender, who has made 16 appearances for the Robins this season, has torn his hamstring so will now undergo surgery next week before starting his rehabilitation and recovery.
Cranston, 24, is expected to be ruled out of the next six months of football and so will miss the rest of the current season and will now target a return for the 2018/19 campaign.
Manager Gary Johnson said: “I’m absolutely gutted for Jordan. He’s had a super start to the season so I’m gutted for us as well as he was an important part of our squad.
“However, Jordan is young enough to come through this period stronger and he has a long career ahead of him yet.
“We haven’t had much luck with long-term injuries this season to date with Jordan Cranston, Jordon Forster and Jaanai Gordon all ruled out. However, this is an opportunity for somebody else to now step up to the plate.
“We wish Jordan well with his surgery and we will make sure he has the best possible care and rehabilitation so he can come back stronger from this setback.”