STEVE Seddon has suffered a fractured cheekbone and eye socket, and is set to be out of action for about six weeks.

The 25-year-old left the field on a stretcher just before half-time on his Cambridge United debut at the weekend.

Seddon departed Oxford United on loan for the season and was thrown straight into the Cambridge side for a debut against Bristol Rovers in Sky Bet League One.

Cambridge head coach Mark Bonner told BBC Radio Cambridgeshire: “It’s the worst possible start for him, it’ll keep him out for some time.

“He had an operation yesterday which took six and a half hours.

“We may see him at the weekend, he might pop in but he’s going to be in hospital for a couple of days while they keep a check on him, and then at some point, he’ll return with us to training and games in the coming weeks, probably masked up.

“It might not be as long as the injury and the operation suggests, sometimes they can be a turnaround that within six weeks, he could be back.

“We’ll have to wait and see, it certainly won’t be any sooner than that, we’ll just see how it plays out.

“From his perspective, it’s the worst possible start for him and I’m really disappointed for him because he was desperate to get in and play games.

“He’s a good character and a boost to us but we have to deal with it.”