Valencia defender Jeremy Mathieu looks set to sit out the remainder of the season with an ankle injury.
The Frenchman sustained the knock during Thursday's 1-0 defeat at Club Brugge in the Europa League.
He lasted just 25 minutes of that tie before being forced from the field.
Mathieu was due to undergo an operation on the injury on Friday, but is not expected to return before the end of the 2009/10 campaign.
The 26-year-old had been an ever-present for Los Che this term and is devastated to have seen a productive season ended prematurely.
Valencia doctors have yet to confirm that Mathieu will definitely miss the run-in, but Jordi Candel admits the outlook appears bleak.
"The rupture is very complicated and we think, if everything goes well, he could be out for three months," he said.
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