Young Manchester United striker Will Keane is facing an extended period on the sidelines after rupturing cruciate knee ligaments at Preston on Wednesday.
Keane suffered the injury during England Under-19s' 1-0 victory over Switzerland, which secured their progress to the European Championship in Estonia this summer.
It was expected the 18-year-old would be a central figure in that competition before furthering his claims for a first-team squad berth at United, for whom he made his senior debut against Blackburn in December.
Instead, Keane now faces a lengthy rehabilitation programme and almost certainly will not be fit to play again until the early part of 2013.
"I am very disappointed for the lad," United boss Sir Alex Ferguson told manutd.com.
"He was in the first-team squad for next season."
