Paul McGinn confessed he fears the worst for stricken St Mirren team-mate Kyle Magennis.
The Buddies captain went down clutching his knee just minutes into Wednesday night’s 1-0 defeat to Rangers.
He was taken from the Ibrox pitch on a stretcher and Paisley boss Jim Goodwin later confirmed the 21-year-old had damaged knee ligaments.
The Scotland Under-21 cap is still waiting for the results of a scan he underwent on Thursday morning but if the damage proves to be as bad as first feared, his season could be over.
Saints defender McGinn is keeping his fingers crossed for his team-mate but admits the initial signs are worrying.
He said: “Kyle could be a massive loss for us. It was one of those horrible ones because I don’t think anyone touched him.
“I think it’s down to the way he’s planted his foot in the turf. Being in the game this long, you know those are normally the really bad ones.
“Touch wood, we’re hoping it’s not that and it’s just a twist or something. Sadly it’s not looking good.”
Speaking after Wednesday’s defeat, Goodwin said: “It’s not looking great. He’s going for a scan tomorrow morning (Thursday) but, at this moment in time, it’s not looking good.
“He’s definitely done ligaments, it’s just a question of whether it’s medial or cruciate. If it’s the medial it’s six to eight weeks, if it’s the cruciate it could be season-ending.
“To lose a player as influential as Kyle, with such a serious injury, is so disappointing for him – and he’s going to be difficult to replace.”
Magennis’ injury blow only added to the bitterness Saints felt after allowing Rangers to grind out their narrow win.
Steven Gerrard’s team were without top-scorer Alfredo Morelos and influential skipper James Tavernier but did enough to claim the points as Jermain Defoe found a chink in Goodwin’s ultra-defensive set-up to notch his first-half winner.
St Mirren tried to open up late in the game but failed to register a single attempt on Allan McGregor’s goal, a statistic which frustrated McGinn.
He said: “I thought they were there to be got at last night to be honest. But on the ball, we weren’t great. If we had been a bit better going forward I think we’d have punished them. Our tactic was to sit in early on and soak them up.
“They were without Morelos, who usually rampages into the corner and lifts his team right up the pitch, so he is a miss for them.
“We knew if we defended around the box we could soak up most of their pressure.
“But the ball ends up going through one of our boy’s legs and deflecting into Defoe’s path. Look he’s done that for 20 years and that’s why he’s such a good career.
“We definitely feel even late on that it was nervy and that we could have got at them.”
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