Ishmael Miller receives treatment after colliding with David James
West Brom striker Ishmael Miller has been ruled out for rest of the season after his weekend injury was diagnosed as cruciate knee ligament damage.
Miller also needed stitches to his head after colliding with Portsmouth keeper David James in Sunday's 1-1 draw.
But, after initially expecting it to be diagnosed as medial ligament damage, scans have shown the injury to his right knee to be worse than expected.
"It's a blow. He's a threat to most teams," said Baggies boss Tony Mowbray.
"It is a bad injury. We wish Ishmael a speedy recovery. It is a shame for him and for us."
With rehab for this sort of injury normally lasting six to nine months, Miller, 21, is not expected to get another chance until next season. And it could not have proved less timely for the Premier League's bottom club.
Miller, who netted 16 times for Albion last season as they won promotion back to the Premier League, took nine games to get off the mark in the top flight.
But the big striker, who signed from Manchester City in a �900,000 deal in January having originally come on loan, has scored three times in his last seven games. And he had tormented Portsmouth defender Sol Campbell on Sunday before being stretchered off in the 76th minute.
It now leaves Albion in need of a replacement for Miller in January. And Mowbray insists that his budget for any new striker has not been altered.
"As for the transfer window," he said, "we are looking. We will wait and see.
"The bottom line is, if there aren't the funds there to do anything, it doesn't change because you get an injury.
"We've got to work within the parameters we've got. We will try and bring one or two in on loan and try and increase the competition if we can.
"The problem is that invariably top Premier League strikers don't go out on loan. We are scanning Europe to see if we can find someone.
"Hopefully, one of the top teams may find themselves with some excess players who need a bit of game time.
"Young players at big clubs who haven't played much football is another avenue for us. We are looking at all areas. Let's wait and see what happens."
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