Crystal Palace's Christian Benteke to Miss 6-8 Weeks With Knee Ligament Injury
Crystal Palace forward Christian Benteke is set to miss between six to eight weeks after suffering knee ligament damage in Saturday's 5-0 loss against Manchester City, the Telegraph have reported.
The Belgian international was replaced by Bakary Sako in the second half of Palace's heavy defeat.
Manager Roy Hodgson had originally suspected ligament damage, but the extent of the injury will come as a significant blow for the Premier League's bottom team.
"We think it's a form of ligament damage," Hodgson told Sky Sports after the City game. "But I don't know quite how bad that ligament damage is. He's going to have a scan tomorrow [Sunday].
"It will mean he will not be playing in the next game - I can be sure of that - which we could do without at this time."
But now it has been confirmed that Benteke will be absent for much longer than originally suspected, another setback for the struggling Eagles.
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The club are already without striker Connor Wickham due to injury, and allowed both Fraizer Campbell and Loic Remy to leave in the summer.
Palace could now be forced to search for free agents in an attempt to find a short-term replacement for Benteke.
The Telegraph claim that Hodgson may have identified Ricky Lambert, without a club following his release from Cardiff, as a potential replacement. But there would be concerns over the fitness of the 35-year-old.
Palace are expected to utilise winger Bakary Sako as a forward in Saturday's game against Manchester United at Old Trafford.
