Coach Dwight Yorke says Daniel De Silva's knee injury is a setback for Macarthur FC as the A-League Men club waits on medical advice to determine if the star midfielder needs surgery.
A former Australian under-23s representative, De Silva was on the receiving end of an errant boot from Sydney FC winger Joe Lolley in the Bulls' 3-0 last-start win.
De Silva played no further part in the match, with Lolley receiving a red card and later a two-match ban for his challenge.
The timing of the injury meant the club needed to wait until after Christmas to send De Silva for scans and the Bulls are still working to decide if MCL surgery is the best option.
The club is preparing to do without De Silva for the short term but if they opt against putting him through surgery, his knee could take months to heal.
The injury comes at an unfortunate time for the Bulls, who have strung two wins together for the first time this season and sit third on the ladder heading into Sunday's match with the Western Sydney Wanderers.
"There's no question that Danny's a huge loss for us," Yorke told reporters.
"It's unfortunate for Danny.
"We're not sure exactly the length of the injury but it's one that's going to set him back for a few weeks.
"It's a big loss but that's the name of the game in football. It's an opportunity for other people to step up and I've always extended to the rest of the squad that for us to be competing with the best teams here, we will be using the entire squad."
Former Socceroo Daniel Arzani has been carrying a shoulder niggle since the Bulls' first match back from the World Cup break but looks set to play against the Wanderers.
"He's got some injuries but it's manageable," Yorke said.
"He's not been totally 100 per cent fit. Hence that's the reason why he's not really been involved as much as we'd like him to."
The Wanderers are one of two A-League franchises yet to defeat the Bulls but are putting together their most promising season since Macarthur entered the competition in 2020.
"We always have good games against Western Sydney," Bulls captain Ulises Davila said.
"It's the derby here in this area so we try to do our best."
