Northampton Saints hopes of reaching the Heineken Cup quarter-finals have been dealt a blow after Courtney Lawes was ruled out of the final two rounds of Pool One action.
The England star has been sidelined for three months after damaging knee ligaments in the Aviva Premiership defeat to Leicester Tigers last weekend.
The news is a major blow to Northampton who are currently leading the pool, six points ahead of nearest rivals Castres Olympique.
"Courtney is expected to be out for around three months but we fully expect him to be back playing before the end of the season," said a Northampton spokesman.
It remains unclear whether the 8-cap international will require surgery but if it comes to that then it may mean a longer spell out of the game.
The 21-year-old has started all four of the former champions games in Europe so far this season and has received widespread plaudits for his performances.
The Saints welcome Edinburgh to Franklin's Gardens this weekend before travelling to Castres Olympique for a mouth-watering clash the following weekend.
