BURY have confirmed that on-loan defender Stephane Zubar will definitely miss the rest of the season after scans revealed damage to his anterior cruciate ligament.

The 26-year-old centre-back returned to parent club Bournemouth after picking up the knee injury in Bury’s 4-1 defeat at Notts County last month.

It was hoped the problem may not be as serious as initially feared but, after meeting with a knee specialist this week, he has now been ruled out for up to eight months.

Shakers boss Kevin Blackwell said: “Unfortunately, Stephane now needs surgery, which will leave him out for anything between five or eight months, so it’s going to go into next season for him.

“He was terrific for us and I spoke to him yesterday (Wednesday) and he thanked Bury FC for what we have done for him.

“I’ve told him that a lot of Bury fans want to thank him and they have become massive Zubar fans.”