YOUNG CORK DEFENDER Liam O’Donovan is facing a spell of six to eight weeks on the sidelines after injuring his knee in Sunday’s Division 2 league defeat against Clare.

The injury hits O’Donovan in his breakthrough senior season and occurred early in the second half of the game at Cusack Park. He was forced off and it has emerged that he damaged his medial collateral ligament.

The setback means the Clonakilty club man is set to miss out as well for UCC in next Sunday’s Sigerson Cup semi-final against NUI Galway in Mallow after lining out at corner-back in their games to date.

His predicted rehabilitation period would see him the rest of Cork’s league campaign which features league ties against Meath, Tipperary, Donegal and Armagh.

O’Donovan was part of the Cork minor side that reached the 2016 All-Ireland quarter-final, featured for the county U20 team in last summer’s Munster decider and then made his senior league debut against Fermanagh last month.

Cork are hoping to have Sean Powter and Kevin Crowley, who have been absent for the league to date, back in contention for their next game with Meath on Saturday 23 February where they will be chasing their first win of the campaign.

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