Hull City have confirmed that full-back Moses Odubajo will be out for six months with a fractured kneecap suffered in a non-contact training session.
The 23-year-old was sidelined for a similar length of time after suffering a knee ligament injury in a pre-season friendly against Grimsby Town in the summer.
He was hoping to be back by November, but a club statement said: "The Tigers can confirm they were dealt a disappointing injury blow yesterday when Moses Odubajo was ruled out for an estimated six months with a fractured patella.
"Moses was assessed by surgeons in London yesterday who stated the player would be required to undergo more surgery to stabilise the fracture and this will be undertaken early next week."
Hull signed Odubajo for £3.5m in July 2015 and he made 45 appearances in the Championship as they won promotion to the Premier League via the playoffs.