Abdul Fatawu will miss the rest of the season

Tough situation Leicester City

Leicester City's winger Abdul Fatawu will miss the rest of the season due to a severe knee injury, an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury, manager Steve Cooper has confirmed.

Fatawu returned to Leicester earlier than planned from international duty after being forced to leave the pitch in the first half during Ghana's African Nations Championship qualifier against Angola last Friday, thus missing Monday's defeat to Niger.

The 20-year-old player has made 13 appearances in all competitions this season, providing three assists.

"An ACL injury means he's out for the rest of the season. It's a serious injury, and happening at such a young age is a blow for him and for us. We now have to support him in every way to make his rehabilitation and return as smooth as possible. Hopefully, he will come back a stronger player and person," said Cooper on Thursday.

Fatawu's absence for the remainder of the season is devastating for the winger but an even bigger blow for Leicester City. As his performance against Manchester United showed, Fatawu was just starting to show his potential at the Premier League level before the ACL injury.

Leicester is already missing defender Ricardo Pereira, who is out for four months due to a hamstring injury. Jamie Vardy missed Leicester's defeat to Manchester United in November because of back problems, while Facundo Buonanotte is suspended for Saturday's meeting with Chelsea after receiving his fifth yellow card of the season against Manchester United.