Luton Town defender Tom Holmes has suffered a cruel injury blow just days after making his loan debut at Rotherham United.
The 25-year-old, who joined the Millers for the season on deadline day, picked up the man-of-the-match award on his debut in a 1-0 win over Exeter City at the weekend, but scans have since confirmed he tore his lateral collateral ligament (LCL) and faces up to eight weeks out.
Rotherham boss Matt Hamshaw admitted the news was a bitter setback after Holmes impressed on his first outing.
“It’s the outside of his knee. He’s done his LCL,” Hamshaw told the Millers’ website, adding: “It’s not a common injury at all. I spoke to him after the game on Saturday and he was absolutely fine.
“He said he’d just got a bit of a knock on his left knee but everything was okay. He walked up the stairs to get his man-of-the-match award. I spoke to him just before he left. He said how much he was enjoying it here, how pleased he was to be playing again and that he was loving the environment.
“He woke up on Sunday morning and reported that he was struggling to walk on it. We got him in for a scan and then got the news that he’s partially torn his LCL. It’s typical of the luck we’re having with injuries at the minute.
“I spoke to the lad this morning and he’s devastated. He feels like he’s let everyone down, which he absolutely hasn’t. It’s horrific for him. He’d just got back to playing. You saw in his first game the reasons why we brought him in. Hopefully, he’ll be back in around eight weeks.”
Rotherham said their medical and sports science team will work with Holmes to “give him the most effective rehabilitation programme and ensure that he is back in match action as soon as is safe to do so.”
