Chelsea forward Izzy Brown has torn his anterior cruciate ligament and will miss the remainder of the season.
The 21-year-old, who is spending the campaign on loan at Brighton, was forced off after only six minutes into the Seagulls’ FA Cup third-round clash with Crystal Palace on Monday.
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On Tuesday, Brown took to social media to confirm that he suffered an ACL tear and will miss the rest of the season, while thanking those at the seaside club.
“Not the news I wanted to hear," Brown said on Instagram. "I have torn my ACL & it will need surgery to fix. I will come back fitter & stronger and hopefully be ready for next season.
“Thank you to everyone at Brighton for the love and support they showed towards me, the fans, the staff, & all the players. I’ve met some amazing people here & these memories will be with me forever.”
Brown, a graduate of the West Brom academy, signed for Chelsea in 2013 but has made just one Premier League appearance for the Blues since.
The attacker has spent time on loan with Vitesse, Rotherham and most notably Huddersfield, who he helped steer into the English top flight for the first time in the club's history last season.
Brown then joined fellow newly-promoted Brighton for the 2017-18 campaign but was injured during the club's first game of the season against Manchester City and has been forced to play a bit-part role on the south coast since.
The 21-year-old made just four league starts under Chris Hughton, with an additional nine substitute appearances.