Gabriel Jesus' first season in England is almost certainly over after he broke the fifth metatarsal in his right foot.
The Brazilian prodigy, who had made such a spectacular impact since being thrust into Manchester City's team, was injured in the 14th minute of Monday's 2-0 win at Bournemouth.
After being examined on the pitch, he was replaced by Sergio Aguero but City were cautious after they left the south coast that Jesus would have the possibility to play again before the end of the campaign. Â
Fears were quickly allayed that Jesus had not sustained any ligament damage; however, he was distraught in the dressing room of the Vitality Stadium afterwards and that meant nobody could relax.
Jesus was taken for further scans in Manchester on Tuesday morning with club officials and the full extent of the damage to his foot became clear, leaving the player and Pep Guardiola distraught.
The news was worse than they expected and City will now be without Jesus for a minimum of three months, which would take him up to the end of May.
The club said in a statement: 'Manchester City can confirm Gabriel Jesus suffered a fractured metatarsal during the 2-0 win over Bournemouth on Monday night.
'The 19-year-old was withdrawn from action after 15 minutes of the game and assessed by the club's medical staff.
'He will undergo further examinations in the coming days to establish the extent of his layoff.
'Jesus has scored three goals in five appearances for City since his move from Palmeiras was rubber-stamped in January and has received widespread praise for the way he has adapted to English football.
'We wish Gabriel a speedy recovery and we will keep you updated on his progress via the club's official channels in the coming days.'
It brings a premature end to the exciting partnership that Jesus, Raheem Sterling and Leroy Sane had been building and also offers a reprieve to Aguero, who had lost his place.
Jesus is on crutches with his right foot in a protective boot and it seems likely he will require surgery to pin the bone. The quickest possible time scale he could hope to be back in is 10 weeks.
But whether a procedure is required or not, it is a devastating blow for the 19-year-old, who had energised City's performances over the last month with his dynamism and goalscoring.
Guardiola is a huge fan of Jesus and had given the indication that his £27million signing from Palmeiras had effectively become City's main striker, leapfrogging Aguero.
Losing Jesus for such a prolonged spell will have an impact on City's potential to whittle away the difference between them and runaway leaders Chelsea in the race for the title.
City, though, came from similar positions in 2012 and 2014 when they were crowned champions and Yaya Toure believes Aguero is ready to step back into spotlight.
'Kun (Aguero) came back and scored straight away, and it was a very important goal as well,' said Toure. 'It's why the top teams have to keep their best players.'Â
Credit: Daily Mail
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