Pep Guardiola expects Manchester City midfielder Phil Foden to be sidelined for at least a month with ankle ligament damage.
Foden was hurt when he had a cross blocked in the 89th minute of City's Carabao Cup quarter-final win at Leicester on Tuesday.
While disappointed to be without the England U17 player for the busy Christmas period, Guardiola says City are fortunate their injury list is not more substantial.
The Spaniard was relieved Raheem Sterling and Kevin De Bruyne did not suffer serious injuries against Tottenham following late challenges by Harry Kane and Dele Alli respectively and called for more protection from referees.
"It's not good," said the City boss when asked about Foden. "The last fixtures [of 2017] he will not be able [to play]. He will be out for a time."
"We were lucky with Raheem Sterling and Kevin De Bruyne in the last game against Tottenham, really lucky. We were unlucky with Phil against Leicester.
"I accept the referees have to be careful about diving players. Okay, keeping going about that, but the most important thing is to protect the players. That is the first target for the referees."
Guardiola delivered some positive news on City's injury front, with defensive duo Vincent Kompany and John Stones nearing a return to action.
But the Spaniard is unsure whether he will be able to bring in a centre-back during the January transfer window.
"We're going to try [to bring in a defender] but I don't know if we'll be able," he said.
"The transfer market is completely different to summer time. We have to try [and get] a player not just until the end of the season but for the next three or four years."
Guardiola could not confirm whether David Silva will return against Bournemouth on Saturday, while he remains hopeful Fernandinho will sign a contract extension.