Hull City boss Marco Silva has confirmed that on-loan winger Lazar Markovic will miss the remainder of the Premier League campaign through injury.
The 23-year-old damaged his ankle in the surprise 2-0 home defeat to Sunderland last weekend and will be sidelined for at least the next 10 days.
Silva admits to being upset by the loss of one of his key players, who joined on a short-term deal from Liverpool in January, and has now called on other members of his squad to step up against Crystal Palace and Tottenham Hotspur.
"It's not good news about Markovic's injury," he told reporters. "He is an important player. He's done good things for our team since he came, but now is the moment to find another solution.
"We need to give confidence to the other players who play in that position."
Markovic has featured in 14 of Hull's 16 games in all competitions since joining four months ago, managing two goals in the Premier League.