Bristol City were dealt a huge blow in the week when it was confirmed that on-loan striker Benik Afobe would miss the rest of the season after suffering a serious knee injury.

The 26-year-old had scored three goals in his opening five league games for the Robins, with Lee Johnson's side picking up 11 points in the process.

So, it's fair to say that the former Wolves man made an instant impact at Ashton Gate and that he will be sorely missed - particularly as the transfer window is shut until January.

And, his absence will have a knock-on effect and one man who may struggle as a result is Kasey Palmer.

The talented attacking midfielder built up an almost instant understanding with Afobe, which was evident the first time the two played together as Bristol City drew 1-1 at Birmingham City.

Palmer set Afobe up for two one-on-ones with excellent through balls and he seemed to benefit from playing behind a striker who is always looking to get in behind.

That threat allowed the ex-Chelsea youngster to show off his passing range and he also knew he could play quicker, early passes as Afobe, who is a willing worker, would always be looking to benefit.

In turn, that gives Palmer, and other midfielders, more space to operate. The opposition defence will drop back once they know they have a player who can run in behind and that can stretch the game, with the England youth international more dangerous when he can find pockets of space.

Without Afobe, Famara Diedhiou and Andi Weimann led the line last week and whilst they both boast a range of attributes, they don't really have the same pace and movement that the on-loan Stoke man had.

So, Palmer will have to adapt and change his game to ensure he can be equally as effective and it may need him making more forward runs to get beyond the strikers and more intricate play.

Of course, he is still capable of that and playing off a target man like Diedhiou could benefit the team in other ways.

However, it's not ideal and it will be down to Johnson to come up with a formula that can get the best out of the team in an attacking sense moving forward, without the player who was their top scorer this season.

That will be a challenge, and making the necessary tweaks to continue to get a lot out of Palmer could be crucial to how the Robins cope without Afobe.

Thoughts? Let us know in the comments below.