IPSWICH Town have suffered an early season set back after it emerged that David Norris will be out of action for the rest of this year.

Derek Davis

IPSWICH Town have suffered an early season set back after it emerged that David Norris will be out of action for the rest of this year.

The Blues midfielder suffered knee ligament damage during the 2-1 defeat at Coventry City and limped out of the match.

Scans revealed the extent of the damage and Norris will see a specialist during this week, where it is expected he will require surgery and is likely to be out for between four to five months.

The injury is a blow to manager Roy Keane who has used the player in various midfield roles and on Sunday played him sitting deep just in front of the back four allowing Jaime Peters and Liam Trotter to support the front three more.

Keane said: “It will be a big loss. He is a battler and he breaks up the play well and gets things going from there.”

Although Town have other options to fill the central midfield role, Liam Trotter and Owen Garvan have played there of late and Jack Colback on loan from Sunderland can do that job, the long term loss could see Keane bring in another player.

He had ruled out dipping into the transfer market but said he would consider more loanees. Keane has been linked strongly in Scotland with Dundee United midfielder Morgaro Gomis, the former Manchester United and Celtic player.

But Dundee United boss Craig Levein dismissed reports that Town had made an �800,000 offer and insisted if they did it would be far too low.

Levein said: “I don't even know if Ipswich are going to make a bid but that sort of figure will just be knocked back.

“Ipswich haven't made a bid for Morgaro. It's not something as the manager I would welcome. I do understand that if your players are playing well then there are other teams who would be interested in them.

“I also tell the players to use Dundee United as a springboard to go on to bigger and better things.

“What I'm annoyed about, looking at the figure mentioned in the papers, is that �800,000 is nowhere near the value we place on Morgaro Gomis.”

Norris will join long term casualties Luciano Civelli, Pablo Counago and Ben Thatcher on the sidelines.

Civelli, who suffered ligament and cartilage damage, is expected back early in the new year, while Counago may return at the end of this month and Thatcher could be back sooner.