Rovers contemplate Savage blow

The firebrand Welshman has undergone knee surgery and manager Mark Hughes confirmed he faces between five and six weeks on the sidelines.

"It's a blow, obviously," the Rovers boss said. "He was playing well, part of a winning team and he's going to be out for a significant period."

He added: "It's the ligament and there's been a little bit of bleeding in there."

Savage has only recently returned from a broken leg and suffered this new setback in the first half of Saturday's Barclays Premier League win at Tottenham.

Hughes attempted to draw positives from his latest injury headache. The area where Savage broke his leg has proven vulnerable since his return and Hughes hopes this latest spell on the sidelines will herald an end to that problem.

"It was a bad break. On occasions in games he was getting bangs on the site of the injury and that would stop him in his tracks.

"Maybe that will resolve itself in the time he is out with his knee injury."

He added: "We've got ready-made replacements - Aaron Mokoena, who in fairness could count himself a little unlucky to find himself out of the side when he did.

"Aaron, we know, will never let us down. We can compensate more easily now than possibly we could in the past."