Hull City defender Michael Dawson will be absent for the next five to six weeks with a knee injury, according to his manager Steve Bruce.

The 32-year-old, who joined the Tigers from Tottenham Hotspur last year, has torn his medial ligament.

The injury blow means that Dawson, who only just returned from a hamstring problem, will be absent from Hull's hectic festive schedule in the Championship.

"For him to come off feeling his knee in the way he was, we were expecting it to be at least a month," Bruce told the club's official website. "He's a big player for us and unfortunately we're going to be without him, but we have to cope with that."

Hull are currently third in the league table, four points adrift of leaders Brighton & Hove Albion.