Shrewsbury Town dealt major blow as Daniel Udoh suffers ACL injury

Udoh was forced off during last weekend's draw at Bristol Rovers and a scan has revealed the striker has torn his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL).

The 26-year-old striker will undergo surgery once the swelling around his knee settles down.

Town boss Steve Cotterill said: "It's not good news about Dan. The scan has shown he's torn his cruciate ligament, which was my biggest fear last weekend.

"As soon as I looked at him and saw the moment, I thought he might be in trouble.

"He'll probably be missing the rest of the season, which is obviously a huge disappointment for Dan and for us.

"It needs to settle down as there's a bit of swelling in the knee. He will probably have the operation on September 10.

"I want to say that's when he's pencilled in, and he'll have that anterior cruciate reconstructed."

Udoh was Shrewsbury's top scorer last season with 13 League One goals – 16 in all competitions.

He had scored once this season before picking up the injury and being forced off in the 41st minute at the Memorial Stadium.

Asked how Udoh has been since learning the extent of the injury, Cotterill said: "I spoke to him about it the other day when we got the results of the scan.

"He's fine now, but at the time, I remember when I did mine – both of them – it's a real gut-wrenching conversation that someone has to have with you.

"I brought him in the office the other day. Just me, Dan and the physio and said 'this is how it is'.

"You can't dress it up any other way. It's a huge disappointment."

Udoh is being treated at the club's Sundorne training base before having his operation, while fellow forward Aiden O'Brien remains a couple of weeks away from returning to fitness.

Cotterill added on Udoh: "We just said to him he'll be looked after and once he gets the operation done, he's got some great thighs and is as strong as anything, so he'll be back.

"We just can't put any time scales on anything, but he'll be back."