REECE Staunton will be out of City’s plans until at least March.

The club today confirmed the bad news about the teenage defender’s hamstring injury after suffering a high-grade tear at Leyton Orient last week.

Staunton is travelling to London today to see a specialist, who will further assess the extent of the problem.

But the result of the scans show that the 18-year-old, who has played 14 times this season, is likely to miss at least the next 12 weeks.

Stuart McCall said: “We are all first and foremost disappointed to have lost Reece for so long, but of course gutted for the lad himself.

“He has made an impressive start to the season and has fitted into our side seamlessly, making a good transition into professional football.

"We'll have to wait and see if he needs an operation after he's seen the specialist.

"But it's part and parcel of football unfortunately and I'm sure he'll come back as good as ever with all the support he'll get here.

“We all wish him the very best with his recovery and will be with him every step of the way.”

Staunton signed a longer-term contract at the start of the season to keep him at Valley Parade until 2024.