Hull City captain Robert Koren is out of the trip to Newcastle United and will miss four to five weeks with a fractured foot, the club said today.
As reported this morning Koren, went for scans after playing through pain for several weeks. Now, X-rays have revealed a hairline fracture on a bone in his foot.
Today, manager Steve Bruce said the injury was a "bitter blow" to the Tigers. But he suggested both Stephen Quinn and George Boyd were ready to step into the breach.
"He did it a couple of weeks ago and to be fair he's played with it," said Bruce. "But last Saturday it was worse and so we scanned it and X-rayed it and those have revealed a hairline fracture to one of the bones in his foot."
Koren has enjoyed a strong start to the Premier League season, playing in all four games and earning praise for performances marked by an energy and aggression sometimes missing last season. Now, Bruce expects another member of his squad to seize their chance.
"When somebody is out injured, somebody else is going to get a chance – that is how football works," he told Hull City's official website. "There's a few that have been champing at the bit with the likes of George Boyd and Stephen Quinn in particular, so one of them will step into the breach."• Who should start against Newcastle? Vote in our Pick the Team poll.
