BURNLEY manager Eddie Howe could be in the market for another striker after new signing Danny Ings was ruled out for up to five months.

The 19-year-old will have surgery to repair a knee cartilage tear this week after suffering a freak training ground injury in only his second session with the Clarets.

Hard-working Ings, who completed his move from Bournemouth last Monday, had stayed behind on Thursday to take part in some extra shooting practice when he broke down.

“It's a real blow for us and for Danny,” said Howe, who first worked with Ings at Dean Court.

“It's a serious one. He's going to have an operation next week and I think we're looking at four to five months (out).

“He was on his own, there was no tackle involved. He hit a ball against a post and just as he landed with his shooting foot he felt something go with his knee.

“He's never had a knee problem before.

“Sometimes you try to work out a reason for these things.

"With every injury you want to try to find a reason behind it and we've been scratching our heads with this one.

“He was taking a shot that he's probably taken thousands of times in his career.

“There's nothing you can say really, it's just fate and just happens.

“Tyrone Mears goes to Bolton and he breaks his leg within two days. Can you explain it? We couldn't because Ty left us in perfect health.

“It's just football, the nature of the game. You're going to get these things and it's just hugely disappointing.”

Howe, who also brought in versatile forward Zavon Hines from West Ham last week, was hoping to add a defender to the squad this week, with Stoke's Ryan Shotton high on the wanted list.

But the Burnley boss may be forced into a rethink after Ings joined Martin Paterson in the treatment room.

Paterson suffered a recurrence of a thigh injury soon after Howe's appointment in January, and broke down again in the opening game of this season, while January signing Charlie Austin, who scored the opening goal in Saturday's 1-1 draw with Cardiff City, is finding form after needing surgery on a dislocated shoulder four games into his Clarets career.

The latest striker casualty has left Howe cursing his luck.

“In the week I've been thinking 'what have I done wrong?',” Howe admitted.

“We brought Charlie in and he got injured straight away, Pato's broke down and now we've lost Danny.

“They're all injuries we feel we can't really do a lot about.

“We've tried to protect each player as well as we can but that's life.

“We've just got to make sure with Danny we get him back as fit as we can.

"We bought him for the future, he's still only just 19, he's got a long future in the game and we must now make sure we get him right.

“He will come back from this but it's a blow to lose him just as he's settling into the club.

“The first two days of training he looked so bright.

“It's a blow for him.”

Asked if Ings' untimely setback could now lead to him going back into the market for a third striker this summer, Howe added: “It probably will.

“At this moment with the two strikers injured Pato and Ingsy are very similar and both are very good players so it's a big blow.

“It's good to see Charlie and Jay (Rodriguez) perform well, and you've got Alex MacDonald and now Zavon.

“We're not too badly off but it is a big disappointment.

“We'll look at what we've got and what's out there.

“We don't want to bring someone in for the sake of it.

"He has to be better than the players we have already. But we may look to do something.”