Gloucester Rugby have confirmed that Marco Bortolami, their captain and Italian second row, has suffered a double fracture to his left eye socket.
He will be evaluated in Milan later today to assess whether he requires surgery but he is likely to face between four to six weeks on the sidelines, although will miss only one Gloucester match due to his call-up to the Italian squad for the Six Nations campaign.
Gloucester's head coach Dean Ryan said: "At this stage of a very demanding season you pick up injuries but this is a significant blow alongside the injury we have already suffered to Alex Brown.
"We will monitor the situation and at this stage we have not decided whether we need to look for a short-term replacement but it is an option we will consider when we know the full extent of Marco's injury."
Bortolami should be back in action for his side's Heineken Cup quarter-final against Munster on April 5 (17.30).
Bortolami has made 13 appearances in all competitions this season for Gloucester.
