Blackburn Rovers manager Tony Mowbray has revealed that midfielder Corry Evans is set for an extended spell on the sidelines with a serious facial injury suffered in last Saturday's 1-1 draw with Preston North End.

Evans was stretchered off just minutes into last week's Lancashire derby - his 200th appearance for the club - after being caught in the head by the boot of Preston captain Tom Clarke, and the full extent of the injury has now come to light.

Speaking to Blackburn's official website about the injury suffered by Evans, Mowbray said: “Corry’s not a good story.

"He was in hospital for a few days with his family close by. He’s had scans and x-rays. Ultimately he’s fractured the front part of his skull and has shattered all around his eye socket.

“We’ve been with Corry, his family and advisors, and are trying to find the best option for him to get the best people we can for the operation."

Discussing the recovery period the midfielder is now facing, Mowbray continued: “We’ve spoken to Corry and he’s in decent spirits. There were a few days where he was in a lot of discomfort and pain, and he’s now going to be waiting for an operation.

“He’ll have a period of time before he can even think about getting back into football but we won’t be putting a timescale on it.

“Our thoughts are with Corry and we’ll be there to support him every inch of the way."

Assessing the impact that Evans' injury will have on the rest of his side - who are without a win in six games in all competitions - Mowbray continued: “Corry is a very important player for us, bringing that experience to the team.

“He has fantastic anticipation and will be a huge loss for us. It’s hard, but we’ll try our best without him.”

The Verdict

You have to feel for Evans massively here.

At first sight, it had looked to be a fairly innocuous collision between Clarke and the Blackburn man, so for it to have emerged as something as serious as this is a big blow for Evans, who has certainly been impressive for Rovers this season, and looked to have nailed down a place in the centre of Rovers' midfield when fit.

That of course makes this a big loss for Mowbray's side as well, who will be without the Northern Ireland international's presence and control in the centre of the park for the foreseeable future.

Indeed, with Bradley Dack already out for the rest of the season following his recent ACL injury, it does feel as though things have started to go against Blackburn in quite dramatic fashion on the injury front in the past few weeks.