Chelsea defender Kadeisha Buchanan requires surgery after sustaining an anterior cruciate ligament injury.
Buchanan, 29, last played for Chelsea in their Women’s Super League (WSL) victory over Liverpool on 10 November.
Speaking after Chelsea’s statement win over title rivals Manchester City on Saturday, manager Sonia Bompastor said: “I have sad news to share with you. We found out the results this morning but she did her ACL after the Liverpool game.
“I’m really sad and I didn’t want to talk about that before the game as maybe it would take all the focus. Everyone in the club is so devastated. She was performing really well.
“We are going to support her as much as we can. She is strong and is OK. She will have surgery and we will have to move on.”
The Canada centre-back joins team-mates Mia Fishel, Sophie Ingle and Sam Kerr in suffering ACL injuries.