With the summer edging closer by the day – not that you’d believe it to look at the weather forecast – we are reaching that stage of the season where every knock and niggle sparks a pang of fear. An injury, around this time in the calendar year, could scupper your hopes of featuring at Euro 2024, for one, while also ruining any chances you may have had of securing a big-money transfer.

For a £20 million-rated midfielder on the radar of Wolves and Nottingham Forest, he can kiss his prospects of a summer switch to the Premier League – or a starring role at the European Championships – goodbye.

Lewis Ferguson, the driving force behind Bologna’s unlikely Champions League charge under Thiago Motta, ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament during the weekend’s 0-0 draw with Bologna.

As such, the Scotland international will not only miss the upcoming European Championships, he may also have made his final appearance of 2024. ACL injuries, after all, tend to take about eight or nine months to recover from.

Wolves and Nottingham Forest target ruptures his ACL

“Devastated with today’s news,” a dejected Ferguson wrote on Instagram after the extent of the blow was confirmed. “But that’s life. I will do everything to come back better and stronger than before. Thank you all for the support.

“See you soon.”

Exactly how ‘soon’, remains to be seen.

HITC reported back in March that this was shaping up to be quite the summer for the one-time Aberdeen starlet, and not just because Scotland have another tournament to look forward too. In addition to Nottingham Forest, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Brentford and Brighton, we understand that there is interest in the 24-year-old from Italian giants Atalanta, AC Milan and Juventus.

Likened to Aston Villa skipper and compatriot John McGinn due to his relentless energy levels and his box-crashing talents, Ferguson also became the top-scoring Scot in Serie A history – exceeding the legendary Denis Law – when he took his tally to six for the current campaign at Bologna.

Lewis Ferguson’s Scotland hopes are over

“In my opinion, Juve should take them both,” Juventus legend Alessio Tacchinardi told Tuttosport, urging Massimiliano Allegri’s side to reinforce their sluggish engine room with both Ferguson and Atalanta’s Teun Koopmeiners.

“This team needs midfielders who know how to score goals. And they both (can do that). (Juventus) need intense players. Players who dribble and attack the goal. In my opinion, they are two Juventus players.

“I would work on prospects of this type and try to get to both Koopmeiners and Ferguson. Koopmeiners scores 10 goals in a season, Ferguson almost (as many), while Juve’s midfielders never score. That’s what Juve is missing.”

That, it seems, is now what Scotland will be missing too, Ferguson’s absence putting extra pressure on the likes of McGinn and Scott McTominay when Steve Clarke’s side take on Switzerland, Hungary and host nation Germany in the Euro 2024 group-stages in June.