Lee Chung-Yong Suffers Broken Leg; Out 9 Months

Bolton Wanderers midfielder Lee Chung-Yong's 2011/12 season is in serious jeopardy after suffering a broken leg during a pre-season friendly against Newport County on Saturday. The Korean, 23, went in with a challenge with Tom Miller but things went horribly wrong - Lee stayed down for 10 minutes receiving oxygen before having his leg splinted and being rushed off to hospital.

The severity of the injury was unclear at the time, but Botlon have now confirmed that Lee has suffered a tibia/fibula fracture of his right leg and will be out for 'a minimum of nine months'. Owen Coyle confirmed that the midfielder has already been through a successful operation and is now recovering in hospital:

We will make sure Chung-Yong gets all the support he needs, as now it is all about his recovery and well-being. That is the most important thing. The operation went well and we would like to pass on our thanks to the medical staff involved.

It's obviously terrible news for Lee and for his team, who were already desperately shy on midfield depth. Right now, it's unclear how Coyle will address the issue - he's clearly got more important things to worry about with his player for now.