Nottingham Forest boss Billy Davies fears Guy Moussi will miss the rest of the season with a thigh injury.
The French midfielder, 26, was hurt in the 2-1 win over Coventry at the start of February and he was expected to be sidelined for around six weeks.
But Davies told BBC Radio Nottingham: "It's a massive blow and the timescale will definitely be around the 12-week mark - which is a disaster.
"It's bad news for the player and bad news for the club."
Club captain Paul McKenna came in for Moussi - his first league start since November - in Saturday's 1-0 victory over Watford.
Davies added: "We have lost one fantastic player in Moussi but we have replaced him with a very, very experienced player - a wonderful player to have in your team."
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