Edinburgh flanker Connor Boyle will miss the rest of the season and the majority of 2025 after undergoing surgery following a serious knee injury.
Boyle suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) while playing for Edinburgh's 'A' team against Ealing Trailfinders last month.
The former Scotland U20 captain underwent surgery earlier this week and will now miss the rest of the season, as well as the first period of the 2025/26 campaign.
"Rugby's on hold for now," the 24-year-old said in a post on Instagram.
"It's a tough one to take but challenges like this are part of the journey.
"Huge thanks to everyone who has reached out and shown support already - it means the world. Time to put in the work and come back stronger."
The injury is the latest blow for highly-rated Boyle, who has struggled to force his way into the Edinburgh side.
He made 10 appearances last season, but only three as a starter and a further three were cameos of less than 15 minutes from the bench.
His injury may open the door for teenager Freddy Douglas to make his Edinburgh debut having impressed on his Scotland bow against Portugal, and for the national 'A' team against Chile over the last two weeks.
Head coach Sean Everitt said he was "monitoring" Douglas' progress when he spoke to the media on Tuesday ahead of Saturday's game against Benetton at Hive Stadium.
The Edinburgh boss does have good depth on the openside, with Scotland trio Hamish Watson, Luke Crosbie and Jamie Ritchie all comfortable in the number seven shirt.
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