Sligo Rovers defender John Mahon is set be out of action for some time after suffering a injury setback in pre-season training.
It's understood the Collooney man suffered an achilles injury which could sideline him for a lengthy spell.
Mahon is regarded as one of the lynchpins of the Rovers defensive set-up and his absence would represent a major blow for manager John Russell as he continues to assemble a new squad for the 2024 season.
Rovers have published a list of pre-season friendlies - but the indications are Mahon will play no part in these games - and, at this stage, he could miss a good portion of the season ahead because of this latest injury setback.
The first of Rovers pre-season matches will be this Thursday evening (Jan 18th)
, against Derry City at the Showgrounds.
Kick-off will be at 7pm.
