Bristol Rovers promotion-winner Luke Thomas faces four months on the sidelines after suffering a broken leg in training with Barnsley. The 23-year-old has also suffered ligament damage, dealing a cruel blow to the attacking midfielder.
Thomas was an important player in Joey Barton's side last season, delivering several important performances in the run-in as Rovers surged to third place on the final day. His career had stalled when he arrived on loan in BS7, but he grafted hard to get back on track.
The former Derby County and Coventry City man was reaping the rewards of his hard work, becoming a fixture of Michael Duff's side at Oakwell, making 11 appearances so far this season. But now he faces surgery and a lengthy road to recovery.
“He injured himself in training on Friday,” Duff told the Yorkshire Post. "There was no one near him but he slid in, caught his legs underneath him with his studs in the ground and ended up breaking his leg and damaging a lot of ligaments in his ankle.
“He’ll have surgery on Tuesday and we’re looking at four months.”
Thomas made 28 league appearances for Rovers last season, providing five assists. His strong form in the second half of the season led Barton to try to sign him again, but Duff blocked a deal for Thomas to move to the Mem on permanent terms.
Thomas tweeted on Saturday: "Broken. Today’s news is so hard to take. Thank you so much to the staff, teammates and fans for the support. Working hard to make sure I come back stronger. See you all in four months."
Barnsley were beaten 2-0 at Oakwell by Exeter City on Saturday and Duff admits Thomas' plight may have contributed to a lacklustre performance.
"It’s difficult when players see their mate on gas and air, screaming in agony," he said. "There is a weirdness in the training, players are not really listening because they’re worried abut Luke. "I can’t blame that on the performance but it might have been a contributing factor.”
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