Burton’s on-loan Leicester defender Sam Hughes is facing a lengthy spell on the sidelines after suffering a serious knee injury.

The 23-year-old was forced off in the first half or Burton’s 3-1 home defeat to Doncaster and scans have revealed the extent of the problem.

Albion manager Jake Buxton, who had been hoping to make Hughes’ move permanent, said: “It’s a long-term injury and sadly Sam will not be with us for the remainder of the season. He will report back to Leicester and start his rehab there.

“We gave him a great platform to play first-team football and he was putting in great performances. We had been in dialogue with Leicester about possibly taking him on a permanent deal and the chairman was fully in support of making that happen.

“Unfortunately, that now can’t happen in the next window but it’s something we would still look to do in the future as we believe Sam is a good player. He is a dying breed – an old school centre-half who wants to get stuck in, head it and kick it and we will miss him in the coming games.”