Cisse out for season with broken leg: Liverpool

Liverpool's French player Djibril Cisse, seen here February 2004.

Djibril Cisse was ruled out from playing again this season by Liverpool after breaking his leg during Saturday's 2-2 Premiership draw at Blackburn Rovers.

The 23-year-old France striker, a club record 14-million-pound signing this summer, was hurt in the 38th minute of the game at Ewood Park with x-rays later revealing a fracture to the tibia and fibula in his left leg.

He had an operation Sunday and a statement on the Liverpool website said: "Following the operation the Reds confirmed that Cisse will definitely not play again this season."

Cisse will now stay in hospital for another five or six days before beginning his programme of rehabilitation under the supervision of the Liverpool medical team.

He was left screaming in agony as he fell to the ground after an innocuous tangle with Rovers' defender Jamie McEveley.

The incident comes just a year after Milan Baros and Jamie Carragher broke an ankle and shin respectively on Liverpool's previous visit to the ground.

The injury is almost certain to force manager Rafael Benitez into the transfer market when the window opens in January.

After a quiet start in the Premiership, Cisse was just starting to find his feet, although his partnership with Baros had still not looked convincing.

Baros is now likely to be deployed in a lone striking role with Luis Garcia just behind, while Benitez is reported to be interested in Real Madrid's Fernando Morientes, whose exit from the Bernabeu in January is almost certain.