Aberdeen have confirmed two first team players are set to spend months on the treatment table.
Playmaker Vicente Besuijen and defender Jack Milne both sustained injuries during the 1-1 Scottish Premiership draw against St Johnstone on December 7.
The pair have since been sent for surgery after scans revealed the extend of the setbacks.
Besuijen, who has enjoyed more game time under Scandinavian boss Jimmy Thelin after being outcasted by previous manager’s, will miss four months of football.
Milne, on the other hand, will be absent for at least 12 weeks. He has made nine appearance so far this season and is the only senior back-up to Nicky Devlin at right-back.
That means Aberdeen will likely have several areas they will look to strengthen when the January transfer window opens in less than two weeks time.
A striker and centre-back were believed to be the priority positions but now Thelin could look for more short-term solutions as the Dons strive to keep pace at the top end of the league table.
“There's some bigger problems there of course,” Thelin said during his press conference on Friday.
“I think now, as I remember right now, Jack Milne is more or less 12 weeks and Vinny is actually even more, is around 16 weeks.
“So it's not good news for the players of course, but I’ve talked to both of them. They are strong characters and have an optimistic mindset.
“So it's the same, we have to go through this together and push them and help them and support them in this period. It's two good people and two good players.
“Then of course it's difficult in the career to get the setbacks, but as before we have to support them and give them all we can to make a good way back.”
Undisputed number one goalkeeper Dimitar Mitov and top scorer Pape Habib Gueye are also missing due to injury, and Thelin confirmed that it’s imperative that fresh faces are brought in to bolster his dwindling squad.
“When you're building a squad you have to have the long term, what we want to look like in the future, how we want to evolve as a squad, but also sometimes take care of the short term problems you can have.
“It's also gives opportunities to other players to show what they can do. So we're going to take everything, not get stressed, but we also have to be trying to strengthen the team.
“But let's see how we do that and also put trust in the players we have. So let's see what everything turns around in the next coming weeks.”
