Rafa Benitez admits Newcastle United have lost an "important player" after Florian Lejeune's season was almost certainly ended prematurely over the weekend.
The Frenchman went down on the hour mark during Newcastle's 1-0 defeat to Crystal Palace on Saturday with what is believed to have been a knee-ligament injury, after he landed awkwardly and his leg buckled underneath him once he tackled ex-Magpies winger Andros Townsend .
Lejeune missed the first half of the campaign following a crucial knee-ligament injury he suffered during pre-season training, and he only returned to the Magpies XI in January.
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During the three months since, the 27-year-old had been performing excellently in Newcastle's new-look back three, linking up extremely well with fellow defenders Fabian Schar and Jamaal Lascelles.
But he appeared distressed as he was stretchered off the field, and he left St James' Park on crutches and with his left leg in a brace.
Benitez expressed empathy for Lejeune's situation, and accepted United would miss the Frenchman's ball-playing ability from defence, though he stressed that the centre-back has a strong enough character to return in a positive frame of mind following this setback.
“For now, he is very down, we have to wait and see if he is a little bit lucky, but it looks serious," Benitez said of Lejeune's injury, which is to his left leg, whereas it was his right knee he injured last summer.
“He has to be [upset]; it was a moment in the game when we were playing with a really high tempo and that stopped everything.
"Now we have an important player who was working so hard to be fit, now he has to start again. He is a very important player for us in that position, playing out from the back, it’s a pity for us.
"Hopefully it won’t be too serious. I think he is a strong character, he was working so hard to get fit and he will have that same determination this time."
This was the moment Newcastle appeared to psychologically lose the match against Crystal Palace
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