Preston North End have confirmed that striker Jermaine Beckford will be unavailable for several months after undergoing surgery on a knee injury.
The 31-year-old joined the Lillywhites on a permanent basis in June following a successful loan spell from Bolton Wanderers, but he has been restricted to two appearances since.
Preston boss Simon Grayson is confident that he will be able to cover for the frontman's prolonged absence from the side.
"It's what happens in football and we'll get on with it," he told BBC Radio Lancashire.
"I'm not going to give you a timescale of when he's going to be out but he'll be out for a few months rather than weeks. We've got enough competition within the squad to help us along the way."
Beckford scored 18 goals in 31 games to help Preston win promotion via the League One playoffs last season.
