Steve Davis says its a blow to lose Lauri for until at least February with a serious ankle injury.

Steve Davis says it’s a huge blow to lose Lauri Dalla Valle until at least February with a serious ankle injury. The Finnish striker suffered severe ankle ligament damage after being on the receiving end of a poor challenge at Leeds United during our 2-0 victory on Monday afternoon.

A scan has revealed that the former Fulham and Liverpool man has not suffered a fracture but his ankle ligament damage is so severe it is estimated that he will be out for at least two to three months.

Steve told the club’s official web-site: “Lauri had a scan after the game after he was on the end of a poor tackle. We all thought it was a poor challenge but the referee for whatever reason didn’t even consider it a foul.

“From his reaction and the pain he was in, we knew straight away that it was a bad one. We thought he had broken his ankle but he hasn’t. He has suffered severe ligament damage and sometimes that is worse than a break.

“We expect him to be out for at least two-to-three months and that is a blow for him and a blow for us. We are gutted about it.

He added: “Lauri is a great and he will be determined to get back fitter and stronger. He has always been like that and he always responds to the work.”