Swansea City manager Paul Clement could be forced into the transfer market for a new defender as Kyle Bartley is expected to miss the next two months through injury.
The 26-year-old damaged the medial ligaments in his knee following an awkward fall in the Swans' 4-1 victory over MK Dons in the second round of the EFL Cup in midweek.
Bartley, who enjoyed a successful spell on loan at Leeds United last season to force his way into his parent club's plans, will now see a specialist next week to further assess the damage.
Swansea fear that the Arsenal academy product will miss between six and eight weeks, meaning that boss Clement - who has stated that he wants two players for each position - may now be on the lookout for a replacement.
Alfie Mawson, Federico Fernandez and Mike van der Hoorn remain the Swans' three options for the central-defensive berths.