Hull City are likely to be without goalkeeper Allan McGregor until November after manager Steve Bruce revealed his shot-stopper needs four to six weeks of rest.
As revealed by the Mail earlier today, McGregor has been told to rest having seen a specialist over a persistent shoulder injury which has troubled the Scottish international in recent weeks.
While delighted his number one goalkeeper doesn't need an operation, Bruce will be without McGregor for Saturday's home game with Crystal Palace as well as away trips to Arsenal and Liverpool late this month.
"We're just delighted he doesn't need an operation, because we thought it might," said Bruce.
"The specialist has said we need to rest him, and stop diving on it. Hopefully, in four to six weeks he'll be back to normal."
McGregor, 32, has been playing through the pain for about a month before a scan revealed the extent of the injury and will now miss Scotland's qualifiers against Poland and Georgia next week.
Without his first-choice keeper for the next month, Bruce says Steve Harper will come into the side for the game with Palace at the KC Stadium.
"Harper will give us that experience that we saw last year, he came into the fray and did fantastically for us," added Bruce.
"I wish he was a few years younger, I'm sure he does too but he's a very good goalkeeper."
