Abdul Fatawu will miss the rest of the season

Difficult 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, coach Steve Cooper 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 Cup of Nations qualifier against Angola on Friday and thus missed Monday's loss against Niger.

The 20-year-old player has made 13 appearances in all competitions this season and has provided 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 need to support him in every way to make his rehabilitation and return as smooth as possible. Hopefully, he will come back as a stronger player and person," Cooper said on Thursday.

Fatawu's absence for the rest 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 beginning to show his potential at the Premier League level before the cruciate ligament injury.

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