Trondstand loss 'a devastating blow' - O'Neill
· Yahoo Sports
Blackburn Rovers boss Michael O'Neill has labelled midfielder Sondre Tronstad's season ending injury as a "devastating blow" in their fight against relegation.
The 30-year-old was taken off at half-time during the side's defeat to Bristol City with an anterior cruciate ligament injury and has since undergone reconstructive surgery.
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"We were trying to be optimistic, trying to be hopeful, but in the first half against Bristol City you could tell he wasn't himself," O'Neill told BBC Radio Lancashire.
"The outcome was the worst we feared."
Tronstad had initially suffered a knee problem during their game against Queens Park Rangers on 14 February, but O'Neill does not believe the additional two games against Preston North End and Bristol City caused any further damage.
"When he trained on the Monday, he felt fine," he added.
"If he had walked off the pitch against QPR at that moment when he had done the injury, I don't believe he would have been fit.
"He would have gone through the process, which would have been a scan, and we would have found the same level of damage."
O'Neill is "optimistic", however, that defender Hayden Carter will be available for the game against relegation rivals Portsmouth on Saturday lunchtime (12:30 GMT) despite going off in the second half against the Robins.
Carter has only played six games since his return from a long-term calf injury that caused him to miss much of the season.
Defender Scott Wharton is also available but it would be "unrealistic" for him to play many minutes, according to O'Neill, and midfielder Sidnei Tavares is back in training.
Forward Augustus Kargbo has suffered a setback while playing with the Under-21 side and will not be available until after the international break.
Listen to the full pre-match interview on BBC Sounds
[BBC]