Nottingham Forest promotion rivals Blackburn suffer bitter Ben Brereton-Diaz blow

Former Nottingham Forest man Ben Brereton-Diaz has been dealt a huge injury blow.

The 22-year-old striker, who left the Reds for Blackburn Rovers for £7million, has suffered an ankle ligament injury.

And Blackburn boss Tony Mowbray has confirmed that the Chile international will be sidelined for a lengthy period of time.

"He's strained some ankle ligaments," said Mowbray.

"It's not a short injury, it's not going to be a week or two.

"We shouldn't put a timescale on it. He'll be back when he's back."

It's a bitter blow for Brereton-Diaz, who has fired Blackburn into contention for promotion to the Premier League this season.

He has scored 20 goals in 30 appearances, and is understood to have attracted transfer interest from Premier League clubs.

It's also a huge blow for Blackburn, who are battling for promotion alongside Forest, sitting in third place in the table.