Striker David McGoldrick is unlikely to be back before the end of Town's league campaign with manager Mick McCarthy expecting his 16-goal top scorer to require six weeks of rehabilitation after six weeks with his knee in a brace.
McGoldrick suffered a partial tear of the medial ligament in his right knee late on during Saturday’s 0-0 draw with Blackpool, an injury McCarthy says he didn’t realise the frontman had picked up until he was in the dressing room.
"It was right at the very end when he went for that ball and he just landed awkwardly,” he said.
"It was only when he came in and he was having treatment and Matt Byard, the physio, said to me that he thought he’d damaged his knee ligaments.
"But you don’t know until you have it scanned and have it looked at properly, but he did think he’d done some damage to it.
"And when he had his scan it showed it’s a six-week injury and six weeks rehab afterwards. He’s in a brace for six weeks and then rehabbing for six weeks.”
Given that timescale, McGoldrick may have a slim chance of making the play-off semi-finals if Town were to finish in the top six.
Meanwhile, McGoldrick, who recently confirmed he is eligible and wants to play for the Republic of Ireland, has revealed he turned down the opportunity to play for Scotland last year.
"Other countries have tried to contact me," he told the Football League Paper, prior to suffering his knee ligament injury. "Scotland did at the end of last season, but when I found out I could play for Ireland that was it.
"It’s nice to have a manager like Gordon Strachan asking you, but my mind is made up, although nothing is guaranteed with Ireland, I need to get things sorted and hope I get a call-up.”