Heineken Cup contenders Perpignan have been dealt yet another cruel blow ahead just a week into the new season.
The 2003 Heineken Cup Finalists have lost their third fly-half in a matter of weeks as their run of bad luck shows no sign of coming to an end.
David Mele is the latest player to succumb to injury, with the versatile halfback ruled out for six to eight weeks with strained knee ligaments.
Often employed at scrum-half, Mele began last weekend's opening match of the Top 14 in the No10 shirt but will now not be available for selection until at least the beginning of October.
Mele had been switched to outside-half just a day before Friday's 21-13 win over French Champions Clermont Auvergne after Manny Edmonds tore a calf muscle on Thursday.
Edmonds, who played in the Heineken Cup Final loss to Toulouse seven years ago, had only been drafted in as a medical joker following injury to Nicolas Laharrague.
Laharrague is suffering from an undisclosed illness and will himself be out of action for another three weeks.
Perpignan's next option would be to turn to centre Gavin Hume but the South African has a toe injury which is likely to see him sidelined for a month.
That leaves youth team fly-half Giles Bosch the likely starter for Friday's trip to Brive, although even he has hamstring niggle.
Perpignan are hopeful that their injury problems will have finally been resolved before they begin their Heineken Cup campaign at the Scarlets on October 9.
They then host Benetton Treviso the following Sunday, before a mouth-watering double header with former champions Leicester Tigers in December.
