Sankofa faces lengthy spell out

Injured Southend United defender Osei Sankofa is likely to be sidelined for five weeks at least.

Defender out for five weeks at least

Injured Southend United defender Osei Sankofa is likely to be sidelined for five weeks at least. A specialist confirmed the lengthy spell on the sidelines on Wednesday after the defender picked up a serious knee injury against Southampton last Friday. And the 25-year-old could be out for considerably longer if he eventually requires surgery to cure the problem. Manager Steve Tilson told the club's official website: "Osei has seen a specialist and they have decided against operating on his knee for the time being.

Cartilage problem

"He has a cartilage problem and they are going to work to get the fluid off the knee and see if the swelling will go down around the area. "It wasn't causing him any major problems prior to the Southampton game and they are going to see if they can get it down to a sustainable level, so that he will be able to play again soon. "Unfortunately, he is still likely to be out for around five to six weeks while this happens. "If this doesn't work, Osei will then have to have an operation on the problem and could be out for substantially longer, but we are hopeful that won't be the case."