Southampton goalkeeper Fraser Forster could reportedly miss up to 12 months of action due to the injury he sustained against Burnley last weekend.
The Saints confirmed on Wednesday afternoon that the England international, who has kept more clean sheets than any other player in the Premier League this term, will definitely miss the remainder of the 2014-15 season.
However, The Telegraph suggests that Forster may not be back on the field until next March after he undergoes an operation to repair serious damage to the patellar tendon of his left knee.
It is claimed that the club's medical staff are quietly confident the former Celtic stopper will make a full recovery, but an absence of between nine and 12 months is on the cards.
A more precise timescale will emerge in the coming weeks when Forster is submitted to further tests on his knee.
