Ospreys centre Owen Watkin has suffered a serous knee injury which is expected to sideline him for up to nine months.
The 19-year-old injured himself in training and medical performance manager, Chris Towers, has now confirmed that the Wales U20 international has ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament.
Watkin enjoyed a breakthrough campaign last season, but is now likely to miss the majority of the upcoming Guinness Pro 12 due to the injury.
The centre made 13 appearances last season, scoring two tries, and was being tipped to cement himself in the Ospreys 15 and maybe even earn a call-up to the Wales senior squad.
Watkin will undergo surgery on his knee in the next couple of weeks while Ospreys will open their league campaign against Zebre on September 2.