West Brom midfielder Chris Brunt will be out for six months with a serious knee injury — ruling him out of Northern Ireland's Euro 2016 campaign.
The 31-year-old was carried off on Saturday after landing awkwardly in the first half of Albion’s 3-2 win over Crystal Palace.
Scans showed he ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee and he underwent surgery to repair the damage on Thursday, meaning he will miss the rest of the Barclays Premier League season as well as the summer’s European Championships.
West Brom boss Tony Pulis told the club's official site: "It's a big blow for Chris and everyone is feeling for him right now.
“It will be disappointing for us not to have him for the rest of the season because he is a terrific player who gives the team great balance.
“But obviously it is made even more cruel because it has denied him a career highlight with Northern Ireland this summer.”
Brunt, who had his surgery in Lyon, has 54 caps for Northern Ireland and will miss their games against Poland, Ukraine and Germany in France.
He is Albion’s longest serving current player and has made 314 appearances for The Hawthorns club.
He was involved in ugly scenes last month after being struck by a coin allegedly thrown by a West Brom fan following 3-1 FA Cup defeat at Reading.
Brunt had approached the away end to throw his shirt into the crowd only to be hit in the face.
Police, who have made an arrest, are treating the incident as assault.
