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Burnley captain Josh Cullen will be ruled out until the end of 2026 after sustaining an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury in Saturday’s 0-0 draw with Everton.
He was substituted at the start of the second half after joining Tim Iroegbunam at Turf Moor.
Scans on Monday revealed the extent of the injury to his right knee and the 29-year-old will undergo surgery and miss the rest of the season, expected to be around nine months.
Manager Scott Parker admitted the club may be forced to take action in the January transfer window as a result.
“It’s something we certainly need to look at,” Parker said after Tuesday’s 3-1 home defeat to Newcastle. “Josh is a huge loss for us.
“He was probably one of our best players on the pitch, so losing him on and off the pitch is a huge loss for us.”
Cullen will also miss Republic of Ireland’s World Cup qualifying play-off tie with the Czech Republic in March, having started all 18 games this season ahead of Tuesday’s game.
He was replaced by Florentino Luis against Everton and Parker added: “I think the two boys that have come in, Luis and Leslie Ugochukwu, have been excellent but we will see over the next few weeks as the transfer window opens up and see where we might need to strengthen.”
A club statement read: “Everyone at Burnley Football Club wishes Josh well and a speedy and successful recovery.”
Burnley currently sit in 19th place in the Premier League standings with just 12 points, six points behind 17th-placed Nottingham Forest, and have not won a top-flight game since a 3-2 victory over bottom side Wolves on October 26.
Summer signing Quirinci Hartmann was not part of Tuesday’s squad, with reports suggesting the 24-year-old will soon return to the Eredivisie with Ajax.
However Parker says he expects the Dutch defender to remain at the Clarets at the end of the transfer window purely to give him a chance to catch his breath.
“At this moment, we felt ‘Q’ needed some air, needed some oxygen, and we just felt at this moment he was best viewed from a distance,” he said.
“It’s been a whirlwind for him, coming from where he was, getting injured and then coming into the Premier League and we just felt he would be best to watch… I have no doubt he will be with us.”
Additional report by PA