BURY have been dealt a huge injury blow as midfielder Jay O’Shea has been ruled out for up to six weeks with a knee injury.

The Irishman limped off in the 54th minute of the Shakers’ opening-day victory against Walsall.

The 28-year-old will miss the next nine matches as he joins Nathan Cameron, Danny Mayor, Phil Edwards and Eoghan O’Connell in the treatment room, much to the frustration of manager Lee Clark.

“Jay has suffered a medial ligament sprain that will keep him out for six weeks,” Clark confirmed. “I’m afraid it’s the curse of the knee injury that’s already the main issue for us this season.

“It’s a blow for Jay personally because I felt he was doing really well in the game on Saturday. He made a big impact with the ball and off the ball for us.

“It’s impossible to stop. It’s a contact sport and an impact injury. We just have to get on with it and hopefully he will be back with us in the minimum amount of time and we can crack on with getting positive results whilst he is out.”

O’Shea’s injury will pave the way for 17-year-old midfielder Tsun Dai to make his first start for the club against Sunderland tonight.

The highly-rated Hong Kong-born youngster made his debut as a substitute at the weekend and added energy and creativity to the heart of the team, impressing Clark.

“Tsun made his debut from the bench but he was very unfortunate not to start,” Clark said. “I went for the experience but I thought he was terrific from start to finish.

“He is a special player. When he came on he gave us something different.

“He has got terrific energy, he has got great balance, and he’s two-footed.”