CHARLIE WYKE will be sidelined for up to two months after scans revealed he sustained a serious knee injury in Sunderland's weekend defeat at Burton Albion.

Wyke was stretchered off shortly before half-time at the Pirelli Stadium after suffering a collision with Burton goalkeeper Dimitar Evtimov.

Sunderland's medical team sent the striker for a series of scans earlier today, and it is understood the results have shown that Wyke sustained medial ligament damage in the incident.

As a result, he is set to miss between six and eight weeks as he completes his recovery programme.

Wyke arrived on Wearside nursing a ligament injury in his right knee, which was sustained in a pre-season game with Bradford City in mid-July.

The Teessider did not make his first Sunderland appearance until September 1, when he came off the bench to score against Oxford United, and Saturday saw him make his first league start for the Black Cats.

His latest injury setback, which relates to the same knee that was injured in pre-season, is a major blow, and is likely to rule Wyke out of action until the start of November at the earliest.

The 25-year-old is expected to miss around ten matches in all competitions, including Sunderland's visit to his former club, Bradford, at the start of next month.

Speaking in the immediate aftermatch of Saturday's game, Black Cats bos Jack Ross said: "There was a significant impact when he challenged the goalkeeper and it’s the same knee that was injured when he joined the club.

"At the time I thought it might be a bit reckless by the goalkeeper, but having seen it again I don’t have too many complaints.

"Charlie is in a bit of pain just now, but sometimes these things heal quickly and they are not as bad as they look at first - but equally they can go the other way. We’ll let it settle down and then assess it over the next 24 or 48 hours."