Tendayi Darikwa has suffered a serious knee injury and will miss a large portion of the Championship season.
The Nottingham Forest defender has suffered a ruptured ACL and will be sidelined when West Brom visit for the season opener this weekend - for several months beyond that.
The club are reluctant to put a precise timescale on his likely return, but there is real concern at the City Ground over the impact it will have on the 27-year-old’s campaign.
And Darikwa is hugely unlikely to play again this year, even if he does manage to return for the final stages of the campaign.
Darikwa has been used lightly in pre-season after playing for Zimbabwe in the African Cup of Nations in Egypt this summer, with Matty Cash given a chance to impress at right-back.
Sabri Lamouchi had spoken of how Cash could challenge for that right-back berth in future - while also urging the product of the Nigel Doughty Academy to work on the defensive side of his game.
Cash provides real attacking threat down the right side, as demonstrated during positive performances during pre-season. But Lamouchi wants to see him tighten up at the other end of the pitch as well.
It remains to be seen if Forest will move in the transfer market to sign another full-back before next Thursday’s transfer deadline, as a result of Darikwa’s problem.
But, in the meantime, it will be Cash who is likely to fill the void against the Baggies on the opening day on Saturday, as the Reds kick-off in front of the Sky cameras.
