Marcos Painter admits he is devaststed after effectively having his season ended on Saturday

Everyone's worst fears were realised when the six month absence was confirmed.

Painter went down with a cry of agony on Saturday and was immediately stretchered off to be replaced by Alan Tate in the 3-0 victory over Southampton.

And initial hopes had been that he would be out for "weeks rather than months" but that was not tyo be the case.

Painter is about to undergo surgery for his cruciate ligament damage and he told BBC Sport "I'm devastated at the news as I'm going to be out for a good while, the timescale is six months.

"I'm not going to rush the recovery.

"I'm going to follow the medical advice and take it steadily to make sure my knee's right before I come back.

"It all depends on how quickly my body recovers. Hopefully, fingers crossed, I can get back early.

"I heard a snap as I was approaching a player and with that came the immediate pain in my knee which was just agony. It's the worse pain I've experienced."

Painter's manager Roberto Martinez added "Long-term injuries are the worst thing about being a professional footballer," said Martinez.

"Marcos now has a great challenge to get back on the pitch before the season ends but he should have a great feeling of pride for what he has done for Swansea City because his level of performances have been fantastic.

"Now he must his time out to get stronger in certain areas and to prepare mentally for the challenges ahead to make sure he is a better person and player on his return.

"It is disappointing for us but we now hope Marcos recovers quickly.

"It is disappointing to suffer another footballing accident," Martinez told BBC Sport.

"Marcos' boot was locked in the ground and his knee gave way a little.

"But it is another test of the strength in depth of our squad."

Photo: Action Images

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