Norwich City midfielder Liam Gibbs has admitted his devastation at yet another injury blow in the Canaries' 6-1 win over Plymouth Argyle.
Gibbs was replaced by Oscar Schwartau just nine minutes after coming on as a substitute himself in the second half, having gone down clutching the back of his thigh with what appeared to be a hamstring issue.
The 21-year-old had only recently returned from a similar injury, which he sustained in training back in September. The situation was also reminiscent of a near-identical one at Sheffield Wednesday last season, when he was ruled out for the rest of the campaign with a thigh problem shortly after being introduced.
His disappointment was evident as he walked around the perimeter of the Carrow Road pitch on Tuesday night, and in a post on Instagram the following morning he opened up about his frustration.
"Absolutely gutted to come off with another injury," he said. "Tough one to take if I am being honest!
"Massive shoutout to the fans though for the special support last night, really does make the difference and has given me that added fuel I need to come back stronger! A top performance and classy win from the lads. See you soon."
The setback comes as the latest in a series of muscular complaints among the City squad, after Onel Hernandez and Marcelino Nunez also missed significant periods with their own hamstring injuries.
Head coach Johannes Hoff Thorup expressed his sympathy for Gibbs post-match, avoiding a diagnosis but bemoaning his charge's bad luck.
"Of course we have to wait and see, but it didn't look good," he told the Pink Un. "When a player comes on and it's so clear that we need to take him off again and he cannot move, then of course it's not really good.
"So yeah, I'm not optimistic, but we have to wait and see. It seems like it [was hamstring-related]. Of course it's a shame for him and a shame for us, because I think he did well for us on Saturday against West Brom.
"This was supposed to be his next step, in terms of being match-fit and ready for even more minutes for us, so it's a disappointment for everyone. But we'll support him in the best possible way."
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