Stoke City captain Ryan Shawcross could be out for up to a month with the back injury that forced him off in Saturday's 3-0 defeat against Leicester City.
The 28-year-old is set to endure another spell on the sidelines after suffering with a similar problem over the past year.
Another spell on the sidelines for Shawcross
Shawcross spent a spell on the sidelines with a similar problem last season before missing the start of the current campaign after surgery.
The hope was that the surgery would solve Shawcross' reoccurring back problems and, speaking ahead of Stoke's Capital One Cup semi-final second leg against Liverpool, Mark Hughes revealed that the "positive" was that Shawcross' latest injury is "not a recurrence of the injury" that required surgery earlier this season.
The Stoke boss added that the "negative" is that he has "soft muscle damage" and the centre-back is likely to be out for three to four weeks.
A big blow for the Potters
The absence of Ryan Shawcross is a big blow for Stoke boss Mark Hughes, whose side will be without the centre-back for the second leg of their Capital One Cup semi-final on Tuesday.
Shawcross is then likely to miss Stoke's FA Cup fourth round tie at Crystal Palace as well as Premier League games against Manchester United, Everton and Bournemouth in the next month.
Stoke only managed two wins in 10 games in his absence earlier this season. However, since his return from injury in October, Stoke have lost only five times in all competitions.
The centre-back has led the Potters to seven clean sheets in their last 13 Premier League games since returning to the side.
Hughes may be prompted to dip into the transfer market
Stoke City are yet to sign a player during the January transfer window but Shawcross' latest setback could prompt Mark Hughes to bring in another central defender before the transfer window closes on Monday 1 February.
The Potters have mainly been linked with attacking players, including Giannelli Imbula, Shane Long and Saido Berahino, but Hughes may make strengthening at the other end of the pitch a priority following Shawcross' injury.
Hughes has admitted that he is "actively looking" for potential new signings this month but the Stoke boss rejected reports that he is interested in signing Burnley defender Michael Keane.