Rising Monaghan star Bobby McCaul has been ruled out for the rest of the season after suffering a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) for the second time in 14 months.
The 20-year-old suffered the injury after coming off the bench and scoring 1-1 during the All-Ireland SFC match against Mayo last Sunday.
He was removed from the pitch on a stretcher and Monaghan manager Gabriel Bannigan, who is from the same Aughnamullen club as McCaul, confirmed on Thursday that the injury is the same one he suffered while on under-20 duty with Monaghan in April of last year.
McCaul returned from that injury to make his championship debut against Cavan in April, playing a leading role in the comebacks against both Derry and Mayo in recent weeks.
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Monaghan lost last Sunday’s game in Clones by a point, with McCaul also having a shot waved wide in the 42nd minute, with replays suggesting it may have gone between the posts. Speaking after Sunday’s game, Bannigan said: “We brought him in at half-time today and he was turning the game. Anything that was going in there, he was winning.
“It’s such a shame ... but he’s made of bloody good stuff, he’ll be back. He’s a clubman of mine, from a brilliant family. His dad would have played for years with me. He has a big future ahead of him.”
Monaghan were drawn against Roscommon in Round 2B on Saturday week in Clones.
