Hull City striker Will Keane has been ruled out for the rest of the season, after it was revealed he will require cruciate ligament surgery.
The 23-year-old suffered the injury during Hull's 2-1 win over Southampton, and is the latest in a string ofmajor setbacks for the young striker in his fledgling career.
Keane has previously experienced lengthy injury layoffs, being ruled out of action for over a year back in 2011 with a cruciate ligament rupture.
� | We can confirm that Will Keane is expected to be out of action for up to 12 months with knee ligament damage https://t.co/5scHRw97Op pic.twitter.com/ShO6un9UpL
Keane has already missed a large part of 2016 due to a groin injury he picked up February, and had been targeting a fresh start when he joined Hull from Manchester United in the summer.
This latestinjury means the former England youth starwill play no further part in Hull's relegation battle this season, with the Tigers'striking options looking increasingly depleted.
The striker had figured sporadicallyfor the Humberside clubin recent weeks, playing in five Premier League matches in total, but failing to score.
Dieumerci Mbokani started Hull's victory over Southampton, whereas Abel Hernandez, who is also currently out of action with an injury,made a nine minute cameo in the same game.
Keane came through the youth ranks at Manchester United, where he made two Premier League appearances in betweenfrequent loan moves to Championship clubs.
He spent time at Wigan Athletic, Preston North End, QPR andSheffield Wednesday, scoring four league goals in his four spells in England's second tier.
Hull City striker Abel Hernandez is ruled out for a month with a groin injury.https://t.co/ZtynT40v17 pic.twitter.com/93GIWFnGsi
Keane has also featured for England's youth teams in the past, helping the U17 team win the European Championship in 2010, before later making appearances for the U21 side. The news comes as a blow for Hull, who next take on Sunderland in a crucial match between two relegation candidates.
Will's twin brother Michael plays as a defender for Burnley and has been called up to Gareth Southgate's latest England squads to face Scotland and Spain.