Neil Farrugia will be sidelined until after the international break after suffering a groin strain in Dundee United's 2-2 draw at Celtic, manager Jim Goodwin has confirmed.
The Irishman scored his first goal for the Terrors at Parkhead but pulled up during the game and will miss the weekend clash with Motherwell.
Groin injury a nightmare for Farrugia
Goodwin said: "Neil suffered a groin injury at Celtic Park, which is a bit of a nightmare for him. We were delighted with Neil; he scored his first goal for the club and then he's just pulled up after trying a sprint. He's not carried a great deal of luck during his time with us."
"This weekend will definitely come too soon for Neil and then we will need to see how he progresses during the international break. It's a blow because Neil is a very important player in our group. We have been relatively lucky with muscular issues this season."
Manny Agyei ahead of schedule
Emmanuel Agyei remains out on a medium to long-term basis, but Goodwin is pleased with the midfielder's progress and expects him to return to the first-team fold later this month.
"Agyei is making fantastic progress. He is considerably ahead of schedule. He's working really hard and has built a lot of strength around that knee area. We initially thought it'd be well into December before he would be back in contention – but I'd say we're on course to have him back at some point this month, which will be a huge boost," Goodwin stated.
"There's always a bit of anxiety when you are going to be without a player of Manny's physicality and quality, but the midfield three have been excellent for us and I think it's a testament to the strength of the squad that we have coped so well without some key players. Will Ferry is still a little bit behind, but we'll assess him after the international break."
