Eberechi Eze will be out of action until 2022 after suffering an Achilles injury during Crystal Palace training, according to Sky Sports.
The 22-year-old is due to see a specialist on Wednesday to reveal the extent of the knock which occurred on Tuesday.
The news comes as a serious blow for the Eagles, with the English youth international of Nigerian descent having become a key component in Palace’s squad.
With just one game left in the 2020-21 campaign, the Selhurst Park giants would have been hoping to avoid untimely setbacks as they hope to do well in next season’s campaign.
However, Eze will not be seen again for the remainder of the calendar year.
This means that the Super Eagles prospect will sit out important fixtures in the 2021-22 campaign.
Following his eye-catching outing for Queens Park Rangers in the Championship, he was signed by the Eagles on a five-year deal of around £17 million.
He has quickly settled in South London, making 34 appearances in the Premier League and bagged four goals with five assists.
Reviewing his performances, manager Hodgson praised the midfielder’s influence on his side this term.
“He’s had a good season, there’s no question of that. I think it’s nice that, not just on this occasion [against Sheffield United], but even on other occasions, he really has shown his skills to the utmost and everyone’s picked up on it. I’m really pleased about that,” Hodgson told the club website.
“I’m most pleased with the way he’s settled in, the way he’s become such a team player, the way he works very hard to absorb any tactical information and do the things that the team requires of him, apart from, of course, the mazy dribbles, the excellent ball control he’s been blessed with also.”
The 73-year-old Englishman also praised his potential but warned he has more to learn in order to get to the top of his career.
“He knows he has these excellent technical abilities, he knows he is a good player capable of becoming a really good player of the very highest level, but there’s still a bit of learning to be done, a bit of experience to be gained,” he continued.
“His progress for me has been solid, it’s been there all the time. I’ve seen him getting better, we know what he can do, we know that he’s capable with what he did on Saturday against Sheffield United.”