Stuart Kettlewell says Kilmarnock will give mental support to striker Djenairo Daniels after he suffered a significant knee injury.
The 23-year-old, who moved to Kilmarnock in the summer, was injured playing for Suriname against Guatemala in World Cup qualifying on Friday.
Daniels, who has scored four goals in 13 games since arriving from Cork City, will have a further scan to determine the extent of the damage to his knee, but is facing a long spell on the sidelines.
“It’s really disappointing,” Kilmarnock manager Kettlewell said. “On Friday night, we knew there was a bit of an issue and that he had to come off the pitch. That’s never a good thing, for a start.
“Subsequently, he was scanned by the national team, and they found out very quickly that it was a serious knee injury. What I can probably say at this point is that it looks like it will be season over for him.
“He’s got an appointment today with a specialist here. I think when we get today’s feedback you start to set your goals and moving forward.”
The Killie boss believes that, in addition to his physical rehabilitation, Daniels will also need support after seeing a promising start to the season turn into a difficult time out. However, he said that the “tight-knit” squad would rally around the player.
“Most important is that we want to show our support to him,” Kettlewell said. “Very disappointed because he was on a high and his performances had earned him the right to go and play for his national team.
“He was the first sub on after 45 minutes, and life looked very good at that point. What people need to understand is what that is to football players, but my words to him are that it’s not even close to being a career-ending injury.
“We need to remember the mentality side of it for players. You think the world’s at your feet, you’ve enjoyed your move, the league suits you and all that stuff.
“We’ll look after him. We need to do that medically but also on a person basis.
“The players have been unbelievable with him. One or two will realise how big a blow that is to him. We’re a tight-knit club here, we insist on it. The players get around him and pick him up.”
The injury further restricts Kettlewell’s options in attack as he prepares to face Hearts this weekend, and he revealed that he could change his system as a result.
“It’s a double blow because we lost Marley Watkins a couple of weeks ago, and people will see that in a lot of games we’ve played with two strikers,” he said.
“It leaves me with just two natural fit strikers. There’s ways I can adjust the team.”
Follow STV News on WhatsApp
Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
