HUGELY promising Sydney FC forward Trent Buhagiar will spend a large chunk of the A-League season on the sidelines after tearing his ACL.

The 20-year old, widely known for his searing pace, sustained the serious right knee injury during a routine training game on Sunday.

Steve Corica’s squad is already replete with quality attacking stocks but Buhagiar, who recently joined the Sky Blues on a two-year deal, had already made a significant impression with several pre-season goals.

“It’s a blow for me being this close to starting the season but I’m determined to stay positive and do all of the right things to make a full recovery,” Buhagiar said.

“I’ve had a lot of support from the boys and the staff, a few of whom have been through similar injuries, and their help and positive words will be of enormous encouragement for me over the next few months.

Corica is already on the lookout for an injury replacement after centre-back Ben Warland was ruled out for three months with a broken foot, and must now search for more depth in the front third.

“Trent is a fantastic young player and has been great for us since coming in, so to lose him is tough for both him and the club,” Corica said.

“He is a good person, with excellent character and will return an even better player having gone through this experience.

“We are fortunate that we have some great depth in our squad with Alex Brosque, Adam Le Fondre, Milos Ninkovic, Siem de Jong, Danny de Silva and Charles Lokoli N’goy all able to fill the void.

“However, we still have room to bring in another player and the fact we still have an international spot available is a bonus for us.”