Hearts star Craig Halkett has been told he could be back within two months.
The defender got his scan results yesterday and it was confirmed he had suffered medial ligament damage.
However, Halkett's injury is not as bad as first feared. There was talk he could be out until next year but the stopper may now be back in contention for a January return.
Meanwhile, manager Craig Levein has vowed that he won't turn to the free transfer market to replace the former Livingston centre-back.
He told the Edinburgh Evening News : "The only people available are out of contract and haven’t played for a while. That means you are probably paying a wage to somebody for a month before he gets up to speed
"In my experience, bringing somebody in at this stage of the season has never been a profitable situation.
“I’m more inclined to stick to our squad and shuffle things around. We hope Peter will be back in the next two or three weeks. He can fill in at centre-back if need be. I’d hope John (Souttar) will be back soon as well.”
